Adam Paul Back As Mayor, Faces Friday Hearing

For all the drama that set the stage for Tuesday night’s special session of the Ellisville City Council, little official business in the form of decisions came out of the meeting, the first chaired by embattled Mayor Adam Paul since a judge issued a stay of his removal from office.

Paul was greeted to a warm ovation from a supportive audience as he entered City Council chambers to open the meeting. He kidded from the dias that it was almost enough to make him cry.

On the official agenda Tuesday were moves to choose legal counsel to advise the council on the issuance of Tax Increment Financing Notes for the proposed Walmart project and to discuss the status of the City Clerk’s duties in the wake of Kate Demeter’s retirement. Both issues were tabled.

Council heard public comment in opposition to a proposal to relocate City Hall and also from counsel for plaintiffs who have sued to stop the Walmart project. Jane Dueker contended that the Sansone Group was not in compliance with the proposed Redevelopment Agreement for the project because Sansone did not have ownership of all the property involved by June 1.

After the meeting, Paul revealed that the city’s special counsel on the legal issues tied to his impeachment had filed a motion for reconsideration of Judge Vincent’s decision to stay Paul’s removal pending a longer review.

“I’m so excited to get back into work and then you know when I hear the city is trying to appeal or reconsider the motion to stay me, it kind of took the sail out of my winds  temporarily,” Paul said after the meeting. “It seems like it’s a never-ending fight for me.”

Ward 1 Councilman Matt Pirrello said the motion to reconsider is an attempt to find out how the judge reached his conclusion in issuing the stay and to get guidance about the status of the special election called for November after Paul was removed.  Then there is the question about what happens in the meantime.

“In the event that the stay is reversed and he is then removed from office or determined that he was never supposed to be here casting any votes, what then becomes of the votes that were cast,” Pirrello said.

Paul’s attorney told reporters Monday that his interpretation of the stay was that it created an environment as if Paul had never been impeached.

Patch will have more reporting on issues related to the Walmart development and the City Hall project in additional stories this week.