After a two-day impeachment hearing, Moss, who had served 12 years as mayor from 2005 to 2017, was removed as mayor today.
I didn't watch a video of the hearing, but I've read the charges against him and I've read the articles about the hearing and the lead up to it.
He supposedly discriminated against the city administrator Steve Lawver by indicating he was old and asking when he was going to retire.
He supposedly discriminated against the female employees by referring to them as "Steve's Harem."
It wasn't the brightest of comments, but let's face it. Moss says he didn't mean the term in any sexual way but was referring to the city's female employees doing everything Lawver says.
And in another story that caused the council to boot him on a 6-2 vote, Moss "sexually harassed" a female employee who was getting cookies out of her desk, by doing a Cookie Monster imitation, which he apparently continued longer than necessary and made the worker feel "uncomfortable."
Why an impeachment hearing?
When you have a mayor doing such horrible things, why didn't someone contact the Jasper County Prosecuting Attorney? Moss obviously needs to be sent away for 20 years. You can't do a Cookie Monster imitation when a woman has cookies.
On first consideration, I thought after all of these years, I finally understood the meaning of "woke," and I even considered using the word "snowflakes" for the first time, but that isn't what this is about.
From all appearances, this isn't a story of a newly elected renegade mayor who began harassing everyone the minute he was sworn into office.
This sounds more like a concerted effort to remove the mayor by people who were not thrilled about his return to the post he once held.
Those who pushed so eagerly for Mike Moss' removal, seem to be forgetting something.
While they didn't want him as mayor, the voters did.
It's true he wasn't elected by a wide margin, managing to squeak by with less than a majority of the votes in a 5-way race, but he was elected.
It doesn't matter what the voters want, however, as long as city employees are comfortable.
Maybe the next mayor will learn a valuable lesson and leave the Sesame Street imitations at home.
15 comments:
This whole mess was orchestrated by the City Administrator who was afraid he would be ousted, and probably should be gone.
There were a group of ladies who called themselves “Steve’s Harem” as a joke.
Any time you have the accusers be the judge and jury, that’s what you get.
There were two who apparently listened and voted against the impeachment. The others had made up their mind way before a two night hearing.
At least two of those aldermen were brand new, and have to idea what’s going on in the city government.
Let’s see how long before he pushes them into paying $33,000 an acre for an oak forest.
There is no good ethics in City Hall, only bad ethics.
Lawver should be the one gone, he’s the problem.
Was it lawver or moss? Might be a typo
Lawver "sexually harassed" a female employee who was getting cookies out of her desk, by doing a Cookie Monster imitation,
It was Moss. Thanks for catching that. I've corrected the error.
Carl Junction taking their leads from Carthage? Keep up the good work as we spend more time and money on mindless crap by idiots instead of the doing their jobs of running a community for the people that either elected or appointed them. What would "Red from the 70's Show say - Bunch of "Dumb Azzes"
How do you expect a mayor/ manager to be an effective leader of female employees he has called whores? Inappropriate? What do you think harems do? He ought to have his backside kicked.
Fire the harem. Then fire Steve
Randy, I’m really surprised by your take on this issue. The people may have voted for Moss to do the job, but once he was in the office, all the same workplace rules apply to him. That includes harassment. This is no different than any employee who makes a coworker uncomfortable by their inappropriate actions. If I had broken these rules and disrespected by coworkers, I would rightfully be called into HR. This type of behavior should always be met with an investigation to determine if the charges are legitimate, and if so, followed up with disciplinary action up to termination. The suspect does not get to say how the victim should feel about the situation. The bottom line is that these employees were made to feel uncomfortable in the workplace. And now under public scrutiny, they feel judged. This is why so many people don’t speak up and the bullies get to win.
Moss is that you?
What I cannot understand is how a community of 8,000 people manages to get 219 people to vote for a 69 year old retired custodian for mayor? That’s the best choice they could find?
Ran;dy, how can you defend a politician who calls the women working for him sluts? Would you feel similarly if he said that of your mother? Your wife? Your daughter? Your sister? What wort of vile, despicable comments would you abhor? Is there no limit?
For a Retired Custodian - he brought in a Top Gun Attorney to Defend him - Bill Fleischaker use to be recommended for his abilities.
I sat through the entire hearing and Fleischaker came off as unprepared, disorganized and struggled to make his case. The entire audience gasped when he questioned a woman about the color of her hair. He lost it after that.
Between the comments here and on social media I cannot believe the support behind an elected official who used a connotation to imply that women in a professional work place achieved their position because of inappropriate relationships.
Why would a male in a position of leadership allude, suggest, repeat or even joke about professionals in such a manner? This sounds like a case study straight out of sexual harassment training that every office has had to have since the late 90’s. The grade A example of what you are not supposed to do.
It was disappointing that the voters of Carl Junction put this person in office. All you had to do was attend the mayor’s candidate forum in March and watch as he referred to the other women running for mayor as “you girls.” Him and his coffee drinking good old boy club at the Lily Pad are biased against women and they don’t hide it.
I had Fleihchaker sit across from me and depose me during a civil rights "violation" hearing many years ago when Fleishaker "could have" been in his prime. He wasn't a TOP GUN then and I'm pretty sure he isn't now either.
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