By Leanna Rodabaugh, Stevensville
I don’t understand. I don’t understand how anyone would vote to retain the mayor. This man has corrupted our town. Anyone who disagrees with him is called a liar. Anyone who asks for help is ignored. According to the judge, the mayor has perpetuated “official misconduct.” The Commissioner of Political Practices has charged him with ethics violations.
And yet there are those in Stevensville who champion him. And this is what I don’t understand. There are those of you who would be upset if your child got bad grades, upset if your child bullied another child, upset if your child vandalized the classroom. AND YET, you support a grown child who has done much worse. The fireworks check he wrote was, in essence, stealing from the town. The same was true of the snow removal debt we had to pay. He has hidden his crimes from the council and the town. He signed an illegal contract, and then notified the council THREE months later when it was discovered. He didn’t consult with the town’s attorney until AFTER the crime was discovered. AND then he tried to remove the whistle blower from the council SIX times. WHY would anyone support this mayor? WHY?
I am sad to think I live in a town where this kind of action is supported. Where this behavior is treated casually. Where the mayor can lie and say other town attorneys agree that this is a gray area. Yet he has never named the “other” attorneys. It isn’t a gray area. He signed a contract and then lied about it.
Then he had the audacity to claim that the council eventually approved the contact. MORE LIES. The council voted against the contract 2-2 and DEWEY broke the tie. Now the town pays $2100 a month for something that was illegal to begin with.
Citizens of Stevensville, IF you vote to retain this mayor, then I guess we deserve what we get which is another year of lies, deceit, manipulation and ignoring of our issues. Please think before you mark your ballot. Our future depends on your vote.
Marie says
I am not trying to explain what the judge ruled. I might surprise you that I support the position, however on both sides of this argument there had been bullying tactics on both parties behalf. I have children like a lot of other people, and I do not want them to learn that this is how we behave as adults. Yourself, Jim Crews, and Susan Devin should be ashamed of yourselves, and how you have acted in regards to this issue.
Jim Crews says
Lets not forget he broke the tie that gave the little tyrant a $1000 per month pay raise. No conflict of interest there. If it were a simple COLA raise there would be nothing to worry about, but to double your pay…..come on. Not only that but the two previous appointed mayors chose to work for 1/2 of the pay that the council approved late December 2013. I was there. I remember that. Only one member voted no. That was Holcomb. Then when Mayor Mim Mack resigned, Mayor Ludington chose to work for 1/2 the approve pay. When he resigned, yours truly also chose to work for 1/2 the pay and had council change the pay to $800 per month. When the election cycle came up, one of the former Clerks tried to tell the Clerk and Recorder that was not the correct pay and that $1600/month was the pay. I stopped that dead in its tracks because council approves all compensation and during the previous budget year it was reduced at my request to $800/month. Since taking office Mayor Dewey got the pay increased to $1000 per month, then breaking the tie, approved $2000/month.
How would you like to control the purse strings at your job and give yourself a 100% pay raise. Be nice right.
The mayors job is a part time position. Its not a full time micro managing office job.
And by the way, how long do you need to be mayor before you realize you need to read town ordinances so that you do not violate the contract ordinance? Inquiring minds would like to know.
Marie says
Maybe because the public doesn’t listen to a few belligerent people. Maybe the public can think for themselves.
Leanna Rodabaugh says
How do you explain away what the judge ruled?