Trending
BELINGTON -- The mayor of Belington is taking the opportunity to tell her side of the story regarding recent controversies regarding city council and the Belington Civic Center.
Mayor Maureen Lasky-Setchell told The Inter-Mountain there were events that led up to her having residents removed by police from the Feb. 20 Belington City Council meeting, and threatening to remove one of them again during the March 5 meeting.
"I was approved unanimously by the sitting council" when she was named interim mayor after former mayor Matt Ryan resigned in July 2019, Lasky-Setchell said. "I take the job quite seriously."
She said she took action at the Feb. 20 meeting because residents "got out of hand" during the previous meeting.
"They took over the last (Feb. 6) meeting for 45 minutes," Lasky-Setchell said. "After they were done ranting (during the meeting's public comment period), they continued to talk while we were trying to conduct business.
"At the Feb. 20 meeting, I tried to limit them to three to five minutes each, but they wouldn't follow the regulations. So I had the police clear the gallery," she said.
"They act like I'm coveting something. I've never benefited from any of the work I've done. I've never even cashed a check as a council member or the mayor," Lasky-Setchell said. "Every check I get, I endorse it and give it to the city clerk and she gives the money to the library."
The mayor pointed out she volunteers for 15 hours each week at the Civic Center during Jerry West League basketball season.
Part of the controversy stems from an alleged incident that took place at the Civic Center. Resident Aaron Crummel was served a no trespassing order by the city after he took photographs inside the facility which he believes needs repairs and is a public danger in its current condition.
During the March 5 meeting, council agreed to vacate the no trespassing order against Crummel.
After The Inter-Mountain published an article about the March 5 meeting, Lasky-Setchell said she wanted the public to understand how the disagreement began.
The mayor said a dance teacher was renting space upstairs at a city property as a for-profit business, but was behind on the rent. The city attempted to make an arrangement with her, but eventually told her she had to leave because she hadn't paid the rent, she said.
The dance teacher moved her business to Philippi. Lasky-Setchell says one of the teacher's students is a daughter of Aaron and Tana Crummel. Tana Crummel is the resident Lasky-Setchell threatened to have removed from the March 5 meeting.
Lasky-Setchell said the Crummels were upset about the teacher being asked to move the class, and created a Facebook page to highlight alleged problems at the Civic Center. Other residents began to leave comments on the page listing their own complaints about the facility.
Lasky-Setchell said she responded on Facebook by saying people should offer to volunteer to help, not just complain.
"That's when everything went crazy," she told The Inter-Mountain.
Lasky-Setchell said Crummel then came to the Civic Center and "he had a hood over his head … (and) parents were alarmed" that he was taking photos and didn't recognize him.
The mayor said she found a mess in the bathroom, with a garbage can turned over and trash all over the floor.
She said others told her Crummel did it. She confronted him about it and he denied it, using profanity in the process, Lasky-Setchell said.
The mayor said she told Crummel to leave the Civic Center and the no trespassing order was issued later.
"He came there to find fault but couldn't find anything, so he made a mess to take a picture of it and post on their Facebook page," Lasky-Setchell said.
The mayor said she wishes both sides could come to an understanding.
"Life is too short for us to all sit here and bicker and argue," she told The Inter-Mountain. "You wind up with a feud.
"I don't need them to say I'm doing things the right way, but I need them to let us do our jobs."
Lasky-Setchell said Belington's employees have continued to do their duties despite the controversies.
"I'm proud of the city employees for their positive attitude and willingness to work together," she said.
"People said to me, after the article came out, 'I didn't even know you were the mayor. I thought you were just the lady who threw out the trash at the Civic Center,'" Lasky-Setchell said.
"My joke has been to respond, 'I take out the trash there and at City Hall.'"