By Phyllis Schaltenbrand
“This is a hand operation going back through months of operation. You have to literally go through by hand. It is not compiled in any particular way. You have to literally go through a bunch of records by hand. With the personnel shifts at the police department it is a strain,” City Administrator Allan Williams told City Council members Tuesday evening. Williams was responding to a request by Councilwoman Dottie Greer for information regarding Mayor York’s bodyguard. Greer had asked for a full breakdown listing all dates, costs for each date and the names of the officers assigned for each time the Mayor had used a member of the St. Charles police department as a personal bodyguard.
When Councilwoman Greer insisted the Council be provided the information Williams asked the Council, “Does the Council place a high priority and want to commit the amount of time (to compile the requested information). The Council voted to direct Williams to provide the information regarding the Mayor’s bodyguard as requested by Greer.
Williams told the Council he did not consider the officer as a bodyguard but as security for the Council Chambers. “They are security people and they do stay here, “Williams told the Council.
Councilman Mark Brown pointed out the police officer meets the Mayor at her car, walks her to her office, stays at the office until the Council meeting starts, follows her from her office to the Council Chambers and goes with her each time she leaves the Council Chambers and then walks her back to her car in the City Hall garage.”Having an armed guard in the Chambers is a good idea like they do in every Council Chambers I have been in,” Brown said. “I have problems with an officer assigned to the Mayor to walk her to her car and then after the meetings the Mayor frequents an establishment on Main Street with no guard. Makes no sense.”
Williams said, “I have been down to that garage (City Hall garage) at night, probably later than most of you on some nights. There are things that go on down there that make me glad I have a telephone close by. I don’t thing it is as safe as it ought to be all the time.”
The First Capitol News has asked City Administrator William what are the unsafe conditions he was referring to in his statement to the City Council and we also asked what he was doing in his position as City Administrator to make the City hall garage safe for the residents who use it.. As of press time he had not responded to our requests for information.
Mayor York told the Council she has received threats and had items stolen from the City Council Chambers. “I have been harassed and threatened on more than one occasions. I don’t have the option of my husband being with me all the time. We have had belligerent people in the Council Chambers and since my back is to the audience I don’t know who is behind me. (The Mayor was referring to the fact that the City Council voted to remove her from the dais after the last election and now have her seated in front and facing them) In reference to the request from Councilwoman Greer for information on when bodyguards were used, where they were used, the cost and who was assigned, the Mayor responded, “I don’t want anyone to know my schedule.”
Councilman John Gieseke said, “Why would it make any difference to the Mayor for people to know where she has been. There would be no security concerns. She has already been there and gone. We need to know what her bodyguard is costing the taxpayers of St. Charles.”
When questioned by Councilwoman Greer Chief Swope said, “An assessment was made for security for the Mayor before I was hired because of reports of belligerent constituents. The cost of the security is funded from the Police overtime budget.” When asked by Greer if the bodyguard would be with the Mayor throughout the remainder of her term Chief Swope said, “I have received no instructions on that.”
City Administrator Williams told the Council, we don’t have bodyguards, we have people who do security.
The Mayor also indicated other elected officials took advantage of bodyguard services. Councilman Kneemiller jumped in and said he wanted information of who else was receiving such protection. No one else admitted receiving bodyguard services.
Council President Rory Riddler told the Council of a recent incident where he received an unusual letter and long telephone message from an individual who was later arrested for harassment of someone else. Riddler said he had requested no special protection and the matter was handled as a routine police call.
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