Ellisville Mayor, Attorney Take to KMOX News Radio1120 Airwaves

Two St. Louis radio broadcasters invited a local city official into their studio to discuss the "heap of big problems going on in Ellisville" related to the city's suspended mayor and allegations of ill-intended city representatives.

"My dad told me all you ever really have is your integrity and your word; don't break them for anybody," said suspended Ellisville Mayor Adam Paul to KMOX News Radio1120 listeners Thursday morning.

After Paul's attorney, Chet Pleban, appeared as a radio guest on KTRS 550AM Wednesday morning, both of them participated in the today's interview with the show's "John and Michael show" broadcasters.

Their message was about how they believed the impeachment process currently under way with Paul was "unconstitutional," particularly after what they said was admitted by Ellisville City Attorney Paul Martin and council member Matt Pirello in the past few days of depositions.

Read related article:  Councilman Denies Any 'Conspiracy' in Case Against Ellisville Mayor

In the course of the interview, the time and location of Monday evening's impeachment hearing/meeting was confirmed:  6 p.m. at Ellisville Elemetary School. Patch confirmed the meeting will be held in the school's gym.

Paul and Pleban this week said pages of print outs of a series of e-mails between Pirello and Martin, now available for public consumption, point to a flawed process from which other council members should shy away. "You shouldn't climb into bed with somebody without checking the sheets," said Pleban in the radio interview.

The show's hosts asked if civil litigations were coming. Pleban said "those options absolutely haven't escaped us."

Paul said part of the "evidence" posed against him for the impeachment was actually an anonymous blog post that was just arbitrarily pinned on him.

Interesting comments came from listeners. One caller, who said he had lived in Ellisville since 1958, said it is a travesty for the city's 9,000 citizens to pay for the $1,200 accumulative per hour cost of services required to handle this situation. He said he hoped the Missouri Attorney General's office would look into the matter.

When the caller called the Ellisville situation a kangaroo court, the show's hosts said it would be in insult to kangaroos.

A second caller, who was identified as Liz, said she thought the situation had risen to the level of Kabuki theatre, which is a form of Japanese drama, known for its stylization and elaborateness. 

The show's hosts said they thought the Walmart example stemming from Ellisville "needs to become a St. Louis County problem" that is worked out on a collective basis for neighboring communities.

The hosts also launched into how unelected officials, as in city attorneys, actually are running the 90-plus St. Louis municipalities.

A third caller, identified as George, said too many forget that many of these "freelance city attorneys" become senators and go onward to try to become president. "What we the people want is freedom, freedom from con jobs," said the caller. "And I wish I knew one attorney I could trust."

Editor's Note:  A hearing on this Ellisville lawsuit is occurring at 3 p.m. Thursday in Clayton. Return to Ballwin-Ellisville Patch for what happened there.