Politics & Government

Pirrello: Ellisville Council Members Threatened Over Walmart

Incumbent Mayor Matt Pirrello, who releases the reins as the city's executive next week, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he did not want to identify the council members for fear of further jeopardizing their safety.

Ellisville Mayor Matt Pirrello told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that threats of violence against city council members related to a potential Walmart influenced security precautions at the councils' recent meetings.

"The Walmart proposal has been a contentious issue, there have been threats and intimidation received against me and council members, and we don't want a repeat of the Kirkwood incident," Pirrello told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, referring to a shooting at a 2008 city council meeting in Kirkwood that resulted in six fatalities.

At the Ellisville council's March 21 meeting, when a proposal regarding a was scheduled to be voted on, increased security tied to the Kirkwood shootings were part of the reason he opted for more officers watching over that night's meeting.

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Although the last two city council meetings were held at as usual, Pirrello said a request by Mayor-Elect Adam Paul to host the meetings in a potentially larger venue were denied. Pirrello did say in the report, however, that the council may wish to soon move its upcoming meeting to the Daniel Boone Branch Library in Ellisville.

Ellisville's next city council meeting is April 18.

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