Debate Sparked Over Non-Motion to Stay Mayor's Impeachment

Lawyers for both sides went back and forth Wednesday and Mayor Pro Tem Matt Pirrello tells crowd after meeting he will resign if judge finds against city in impeachment hearing.

A motion that wasn't on the agenda nonetheless dominated the conversation Wednesday night at the Ellisville City Council meeting. Two new council members, Mick Cahill and Gary Voss, requested that a motion to either stay or reverse the previous council's move to impeach former Mayor Adam Paul be put on the agenda. The request was denied after City Manager Kevin Bookout consulted with Special Council John Maupin.  Maupin said the request failed to meet the standards of Roberts Rules of Order and was "inept" under the circumstances. "If there was a building to be demolished, a stay would be in order to prevent something from happening before it is too late," he said.  Paul's attorney Chet Pleban disagreed with Maupin's reading of the law and…

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Ellisville City Council To Hear Permit For Gun Shop Wednesday

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 …

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Councilman Denies Any 'Conspiracy' in Case Against Ellisville Mayor

Councilman Matt Pirrello says he is capable of being objective, rebuffing accusations by Ellisville Mayor Adam Paul's lawyer that the impeachment process against his client is a smear campaign,

Ellisville City Councilman Matt Pirrello has denied allegations from embattled Mayor Adam Paul that he and other council members were involved in a “conspiracy” to oust the mayor. Paul’s lawyer, Chet Pleban, took to local airwaves Wednesday to discuss emails between Pirrello and city attorney Paul Martin that he said prove this point. The documents were obtained by Pleban after the city unsuccessfuly tried to block their release.  According to Pleban, they show that Paul’s impeachment was part of a longer, covert campaign between the two men. He said it begin when Martin started taking notes on possible violations of the city’s charter by Paul shortly after he took office last spring. (For more detail on the emails, see Patch’s previous …

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Former Mayor Pirrello Will Lead Ellisville Council Meeting

The council member and former mayor will act as mayor pro tem in Mayor Adam Paul's suspension.

Ellisville City Council Member Matt Pirrello is slated to act as mayor pro tem during Mayor Adam Paul's suspension, with a hefty agenda for the council meeting Wednesday. The meeting March 6 is the first regular council meeting without Paul at the helm since the council initiated impeachment efforts last month. Read more of Patch's coverage of the impeachment here. Wednesday's agenda contains several items, one of which is an amended preliminary resolution regarding Paul's removal from office. The only additions to the 11-page resolution are charges that Paul recorded recent closed meetings.  The council will vote to adopt the amended resolution Wednesday. A work session begins at 6:40 p.m. with the regular meeting starting at 7 p.m. at …

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Pirrello: Walmart Ruling Clears Way for Economic Development

A St. Louis Circuit Court judge recently rejected a lawsuit aimed at halting a Walmart development, claiming that the city had made missteps in approving a conditional use permit for the project.

With a ruling rejecting a lawsuit to block the construction of Walmart in Ellisville, some supporters of the development are saying the way is cleared for further economic growth in the city. "I was elated," said Matt Pirrello, a council member and former mayor. "This is going to be the impetus of an entire redevelopment program throughout the city." Specifically, Pirrello said he is aware of three contingent contracts that were hinging on the Walmart development going in. He characterized the entire development community as waiting to find out what the results of the lawsuit brought by city resident Thomas Debold would be. That lawsuit alleged the city had been made missteps in approving a conditional use permit for the Walmart, which …

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Ellisville Shopper

7:49 am on Sunday, March 3, 2013

Guilty of showrooming. Entire Big Shopper family does it. Why do it at a Walmart? The "Walmart" version of some products is inferior to the same brand product online and in other stores. Clothing --- Electronic -- Other? Wrecks the comparison. No Free Shipping? Got to be kidding.   more ›

Ellisville to Reimburse Residents for Lawsuit Costs

The Ellisville City Council reportedly voted to reimburse five residents for $1,000 in legal fees linked to a lawsuit filed by Councilman Matt Pirrello.

According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Ellisville City Council voted 4-2 Wednesday night to reimburse five residents for legal fees totaling $1,000. The fees are in connection to a lawsuit filed by Councilman Matt Pirrello. As previously reported by Patch, the five residents requested reimbursement after they were named in a lawsuit by Councilman Matt Pirrello for petitioning for recall earlier this year. The lawsuit, in which Pirrello claimed that Article 9 of Ellisville’s city charter was unconstitutional,was filed late August against the City of Ellisville and five residents who had been petitioning for the recall of Pirrello and council members Roze Acup, Dawn Anglin, Troy Pieper and Linda Reel. Recall action had been stirring …

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Ellisville Shopper

12:22 pm on Friday, February 8, 2013

Yeah. Mr. Pieper thinks this law suit was a "private" matter. Pieper and others seem to misunderstand. The City of Ellisville AND the residents were on the same side of the case...being sued by Pirrello. The citizens were defendants along with the city. "The lawsuit, in which Pirrello claimed that Article 9 of Ellisville’s city charter was unconstitutional,was filed late August against the City …   more ›

Ellisville Council Will Consider Reimbursing Fees for Residents Involved in Recall Lawsuit

Councilman Matt Pirrello asked Ellisville City Council to consider covering attorney fees for residents involved in a city lawsuit in August.

Ellisville City Councilman Matt Pirrello asked the Council to consider reimbursing legal fees for five residents involved in a lawsuit over the city's recall process earlier this year, according to an STL Today report. Pirrello had filed suit in August against the city and five residents who had been petitioning for the recall of Pirrello and other council members. The final decision declared the recall language in the city's charter unconstitutional, arguing the charter did not call for specified cause in the recall process. As Patch previously reported, the five residents involved in the lawsuit -- Julia Dolan, Mary Ann Dust, Vincent McGrath, Sandra McGrath and Patti Murphy -- had requested reimbursement from the city for legal fees at …

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Ellisville Residents Want City to Pay Attorney Fees After Charter Lawsuit

The five residents are requesting reimbursement after they were named in a lawsuit by Councilman Matt Pirrello for petitioning for recall earlier this year.

Five Ellisville residents named in a lawsuit filed by Ellisville Councilman Matt Pirrello requested reimbursement for attorney fees at the Ellisville City Council meeting Wednesday. The lawsuit, in which Pirrello claimed that Article 9 of Ellisville’s city charter was unconstitutional, was filed late August against the City of Ellisville and five residents who had been petitioning for the recall of Pirrello and council members Roze Acup, Dawn Anglin, Troy Pieper and Linda Reel. Recall action had been stirring after the council voted in favor of a Walmart project and tax increment financing (TIF) for the development. Article 9 governs the recall process of elected officials, but Pirrello argued the text lacked the inclusion of specified …

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Recall Language in Ellisville Charter Declared Unconstitutional

Ellisville Councilman Matt Pirrello filed suit last week claiming the charter's Article 9 was unconstitutional by Missouri standards, following recall efforts stemming from council Walmart decisions.

Recall Language in Ellisville Charter Declared Unconstitutional

Ellisville Councilman Matt Pirrello filed suit last week claiming the charter's Article 9 was unconstitutional by Missouri standards, following recall efforts stemming from council Walmart decisions.

A St. Louis County judge declared a provision of Ellisville's city charter governing the recall of public officials unconstitutional, upholding the argument that came in a lawsuit filed by the city's former mayor last week. Ellisville councilman and former Mayor Matt Pirrello filed the suit on Aug. 27 against the city and five residents, challenging a recall petition brought by the residents. In his ruling on Wednesday, Presiding St. Louis County Judge Thomas Prebil deemed the recall language of Article 9 in Ellisville's City Charter unconstitutional and, Pirrello said, issued a permanent injunction preventing any recall activity in Ellisville. The recall efforts emerged after decisions on a pending Walmart development and involved Tax …

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