Wednesday, May 15, 2013
The wrangling over the future of the Mayor's office in Ellisville still uncertain as courts have yet to rule on a suit seeking to overturn April's impeachment vote against Adam Paul.
A split Ellisville City Council voted 3-3 Wednesday on a motion to rescind a vote taken last month by the previous council to impeach Mayor Adam Paul. Last month, the previous council voted to impeach Paul, saying he unilaterally tried to have the city attorney replaced, directed city staff to remove residents from meetings and evaded an attempt at being served a subpeona. Paul has claimed that impeachment was orchestrated by city staff and others due to his opposition to plans for a Walmart. Here's how they voted on Resolution #05-15-13A, a resolution Rescinding Resolution #04-08-13. Matt Pirrello (District 1 Council Member and Mayor Pro Tem) NAY Gary Voss (District 1 Council Member) AYE Linda Reel (District 2 Council Member) AYE Mick…
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Adam Paul was removed from office last month following an impeachment trial that drew nationwide attention to Ellisville. Wednesday could also see a vote for a special election to fill out Paul's term.
Newly-elected Ellisville City Councilwoman Cindy Pool has been burning the midnight oil in recent days, leading up to Wednesday's meeting that could include a vote to rescind the impechment of former Mayor Adam Paul. Paul was ousted following an impeachment trial which took place prior to the seating of the current council. After city legal counsel refused to allow a resolution to rescind impeachment to be placed on a council agenda May 1, the resolution was placed on Wednesday's agenda. For Pool, seen by some as a possible swing vote because she did not take a perceived "side" in the dispute, the last few days have been spent trying to brush up on what amounts to heresay because she wasn't present for the drama which played out leading …
Saturday, May 4, 2013
The impeachment of Mayor Adam Paul and the resulting litigation has cost the city thousands of dollars.
This week, several news outlets put the focus on the growing amount of money being spent by the City of Ellisville as a result of the move to impeach Mayor Adam Paul. FOX2's Elliott Davis confronted Councilman Matt Pirrello in this report, which aired earlier this week. He noted that the city could spend upwards of $100,000 on the process. Pirrello said it was worth it because "we were not getting city business done" because of Paul's actions. When Davis asked for specifics, Pirrello could not cite anything specifically that wasn't getting done. More Stories:
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Lawyers for impeached former Mayor Adam Paul are expected to rail against a move to keep a resolution to overturn the impeachment vote off the agenda.
It appears as though an attempt by the lawyer representing impeached former Mayor Adam Paul to have the newly elected Ellisville City Council either stay or reverse the previous council's move to impeach will not be on the council's official agenda when it meets Wednesday night. But the controversy over Paul's impeachment is sure to be a topic of conversation. Paul told Patch Tuesday that, as required, two council members backed putting the motions on Wednesday's agenda, but were rebuffed. "They'll do anything they can to prevent me from getting back," Paul said of Ellisville City Manager Kevin Bookout, City Clerk Kate Demeter, City Attorney and Special Counsel John Maupin. He accused them of "doing whatever they can to thwart the will of …
Friday, April 26, 2013
Thursday's filing asks the Ellisville City Council to overturn or stay the decision made by the former council earlier this month.
The Ellisville City Council could decide as early as Wednesday on a motion that could overturn the vote taken by the previous council to impeach now-former Mayor Adam Paul. On Thursday, Paul's attorney formally requested that a written motion to either overturn the April 8 impeachment vote or to issue a stay be added to the May 1 Ellisville City Council agenda. Read the motion in this PDF attachment The motion claims in part that the impeachment hearing was not completed in a timely manner, and that because Paul did not receive the Findings of Fact, Conclusions of Law, and Judgement until after the newly elected city council was seated, the actions taken by the previous council to impeach should be considered "void and of no legal effect…
Thursday, April 18, 2013
The Wednesday meeting also featured the swearing in of three new council members and put in motion a process to hold a special election.
A little more than a week after being removed from office on charges that he abused his authority, Ellisville’s former Mayor Adam Paul stood before a new city council and announced he had launched a pair of lawsuits. The venue was a public meeting Wednesday night at Ellisville City Hall that also saw the swearing-in of its recently elected members, Cynthia Pool, Michael Cahill and Gary Voss. Paul made his remarks during the public comment portion of the meeting and struck a defiant tone, promising that he would return to office. “It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when,” he said. He also used the time to explain the nature of the lawsuits he had brought. The first is directed individually at Councilman Matt Pirrello, City Manager …
Friday, April 12, 2013
The city council will have some decisions to make when they meet on April 17 with three newly elected members.
Update 2: Response from Matt Pirrello added Update: Clarification added on Paul's eligibility for a special election held as a result of his removal. With the decision now made to remove Adam Paul from the mayor’s office in Ellisville, the question on the minds of residents is, "What’s next?" On Monday, Paul’s attorney Chet Pleban said they would have 30 days to file their appeal. Once that happens, the case will move to the St. Louis Circuit Court for what Pleban has portrayed as the real legal battleground. Meanwhile, the Ellisville City Council will be holding a special meeting at 6:30 p.m. April 12 for "review and adoption of Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law and Judgment relative to removal of Adam Paul," according to the city's…
Monday, April 8, 2013
The city council voted 5-1 to remove Adam Paul after they found him guilty of violating the city charter in several instances over the past year.
The Ellisville City Council found Mayor Adam Paul guilty of abusing the authority of his office in violation of the city's charter by a vote of 5-1 Monday night. Paul himself, however, wasn't present to hear the news that he had just been removed. Paul and his lawyer had walked out of the impeachment proceedings against him several hours earlier, declaring that they already knew what the outcome would be. The vote fell along lines similar to those that brought the resolution containing the charges against Paul at the beginning of the year with Councilwoman Linda Reel the sole dissenting vote. Included in the resolution approved Monday night by the council are allegations that Paul unilaterally tried to have the city attorney replaced, …
The city council will decide whether or not to remove Mayor Adam Paul following a public deliberation set for 6 p.m.
The Ellisville City Council will vote tonight on the removal of Mayor Adam Paul from office. Keith Cheung, the attorney hired to present the charges against Paul, wrapped up his case after a 14-hour hearing last Wednesday that including a vigorous cross-examination of their witnesses by Paul's own legal representation, Chet Pleban. Paul himself did not testify and Pleban's attempts to put several council members on the stand were rejected by the lawyer hired to preside over the hearing. Following the hearing, the council chose to hold off on making an immediate decision and instead scheduled a meeting for 6 p.m. tonight to publicly consider the evidence. The meeting will be held at St. John Lutheran School's Cornerstone Building at 15800…
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
The hearing will conclude tonight by midnight, but the current council won't issue a decision until after they deliberate on April 8.
Update: There will be no decision today on the fate of Mayor Paul, although the hearing will continue with the goal of coming to a close by midnight tonight. During a break in the proceedings, Councilman Matt Pirrello informed the media that the decision had been made for the council to hold a public deliberation on April 8. A vote on the resolution to remove Paul from office will take place then. Although Tuesday's elections brought in to power several residents who are Paul supporters, it will be the current council who will make the decision to remove him since they have been the individuals formally involved in the hearing. "We are the only body that can make that decision," Pirrello said. Original story: The final day of a hearing …
Biscuit
10:23 am on Friday, May 17, 2013
Leigh, if that is her name, has been with the city for 2 months and was hired as an 'IT person'. I heard either pirrello or bookout say that. I am calling it right now..... Kate is quitting and Bookout is pressing for Leigh to take over Kate's role. Bookout needs a clerk in his corner to hide things. He is so predictable and the previous council doesnt even realize it. It is critical for him to … more ›