To the editor:
It’s no secret that the Village of South Roxana has a history of trust issues between the citizens and Village administration. The lack of transparency, open and effective communication and defensive posturing when approached by citizens have eyes opening and focusing in on the current administration.
In an effort to fill in the gaps and bridge the divide caused by the current chief of police and mayor, a citizen decided to organize a citizen meeting on Sunday, February 4th. They secured a venue for the meeting and paid the rental fee out of their personal funds. It was announced via social media that the meeting would be invite-only to ensure a safe and productive environment. The intent was to talk about all of the questions, concerns and ideas of the citizens and formulate a constructive way to present them to the city officials. Neither the mayor nor the chief of police were invited. The reason for this is that citizens wanted to speak freely without the risk of intimidation or retaliation, which runs rampant in South Roxana.
As the citizens arrived, people were talking and meeting their neighbors. One citizen brought soup and cupcakes. Another citizen brought their young daughter dressed in her Girl Scouts smock and selling an array of Girl Scout cookies. Others brought their children and instant friends were made.
The meeting began and was running smoothly. The citizens discussed their questions and created an action plan to obtain answers. As the conversation had shifted into discussion of ways to help seniors in the village dispose of large items, the door suddenly flew open. With a smug look on his bright red face, the mayor burst into the meeting immediately pointing fingers, condemning citizens and boastfully declaring “you don’t run this town, I do!”
Shockingly, the mayor took a seat facing the room. He continued to argue with nearly everyone in the room. The arguments became louder, his face redder and his eyes seemingly bulging out of his face from anger. As the arguing intensified there was a sudden crash onto the floor. What he failed to see or even care about was the children. As he was verbally assaulting and harassing the citizens, he had terrified the children. The little girl in the Girl Scouts uniform was so terrified that she had scrambled to get to her mother’s side and knocked a cell phone off the table, destroying the case.
The mayor refused to leave despite being told multiple times. Instead, he stood there staring at the mess he made wanting to know what questions he could answer for the people. The night ended with the police being called, causing further trauma to the children, and a report of disorderly conduct and harassment being sought.
The mayor’s attempt at harassment and retaliation was captured on video that night and was unacceptable. The citizens, especially the children, deserve better. The citizens should be allowed to speak at village meetings, conduct their own meetings, request and receive documents and get answers to their questions without the fear of intimidation and retaliation. The mayor should be held accountable for his aggressive intrusion, prosecuted for harassing the citizens and frightening the children and removed from office for belittling the people he is supposed to serve. These citizens of South Roxana demand that the mayor resign immediately.