During the first Lawrence Common Council public comment period in months, the one person who signed up to speak Oct. 18 wasn’t able to finish her comments after she was interrupted by Council President Tyrrell Giles.

Judy Logston, who said she lives on North Franklin Road, addressed the council at the close of the meeting. She expressed concern that Giles was serving on the council but hasn’t lived in his house in Lawrence for more than a year.

Giles has said that he is renovating his home and he intends to return. In the meantime, he is living at his wife’s home in Speedway.

Logston, who spoke for less than two minutes before she was interrupted, called on the rest of the council to vacate Giles’ seat.

“Let’s remember that council transparency and trust of the government are essential to our democracy,” she said. “As locally elected leaders, you council members, all of you serve on the forefront and your actions or inactions impact our communities more quickly than any other. Our community members in all neighborhoods deserve adequate representation and I feel it is the duty of the entire council to uphold these rules.”

Giles interrupted Logston by asking, “Did you sleep with me last night?”

He then asked how she knew where he resided, and Logston responded that his residency was a known issue.

Following some back and forth between Giles and Logston, the council’s attorney Kristina Wheeler said the council doesn’t have the authority to vacate a council seat based on the allegations Logston cited. Wheeler added that the Marion County elections board voted in February to reject a challenge to Giles’ candidacy based on his residency.

Giles added that if people in District 1, which he represents, don’t want him on the council anymore, they can vote for his opponent in the upcoming Nov. 7 election. Giles, a Democrat, faces Republican challenger Carl Barnett.

Giles then adjourned the meeting.

The council had not offered time for public comment during its meetings since April, but following a discussion at the Oct. 2 meeting, Giles agreed to put public comment back on the agenda.

For more details about the issue of Giles’ residency, see Current’s August 31 news story.