Politics & Government
Ellisville Residents Picket on Manchester Road to 'Support Mayor Paul'
About 20 residents stood alongside Manchester Road in Ellisville Wednesday with signs declaring their support for Mayor Paul, who faces an impeachment hearing later this month.
Cars honking on Manchester at 5 in the afternoon may not be out of the ordinary, but near accidents weren't the cause of honking horns Wednesday evening near the Pasta House in Ellisville.
About 20 residents stood alongside the road with signs pleading "Support Mayor Paul" from about 5 to 6 p.m., including Adam Paul himself.
Paul, awaiting an impeachment hearing later this month after the city council moved forward with a resolution to remove him from office, was beaming.
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"I'm thrilled how much support is pouring out right now," Paul told Patch. "Ellisville has kind of a bad image right now, but regardless of if I keep office or not, I know we're going to come out of this on top."
Action to remove Paul from office was launched last month after a resident claimed Paul violated the city charter by using authority out of turn and ordering a police officer to remove a member of the public from meeting premises. The complaint was dismissed the same week city council passed a motion to draft a preliminary resolution to remove Paul from office.
Find out what's happening in Ballwin-Ellisvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The initial 11-page resolution included charges that Paul drank and used profanity on the job, recorded confidential meetings and usurped authority. Some charges were dropped at the council meeting last week. Paul, suspended from office since March 6, has denied all allegations.
Council candidate Mick Cahill was among those present in support of Paul Wednesday.
"It's amazing what you can do when you call a couple of people," Cahill said. "More people would be here if it weren't for work and school."
Cahill said another rally is scheduled for March 22 in Ward 2 of Ellisville, this one taking place in Ward 1. Paul added a resident had donated $1,000 worth of "Support Mayor Paul" signs, and others had organized to launch SupportMayorPaul.com earlier this week.
"I've gotten hundreds of calls and emails from people supporting me," Paul said. "This is the city I represent and fought hard to represent."
The impeachment hearing is scheduled for 6 p.m. March 27 at Ellisville Elementary.
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