BUCYRUS, OH (CRAWFORD COUNTY NOW)—The Bucyrus City Council met for its regular meeting on Tuesday evening in the council chambers. Councilwoman Carolyn Shireman made a parliamentary inquiry to ask for a vote to suspend the public participation portion of the meeting. Shireman informed the council that she believed Clarissa Slater was going to bring a topic to the council that would interfere with the business the council had to conduct.
Slater asked the council for extra time to discuss sex offenders in the area and whether the council could adopt an ordinance to prevent them from attending city-sponsored events, being at the city parks, and the city pool. Shireman said she felt Slater’s requests for records were a nuisance, that she made accusations, and spoke down to others.
Shireman told the council that Slater did not explain why she wanted extra time to discuss the topic or why she wanted to discuss the topic at all. She told the council she felt that Slater’s inquiries were targeting her and another council colleague. Shireman made a motion to suspend the rules and exclude public participation for the duration of last night’s meeting. Councilman Chris Mauritz seconded the motion.
During discussions on the motion, Councilwoman Vicki Dishon read and explained that the Open Meetings Act provides for public participation. She further explained that both citizens and the council members are expected to behave in a respectful manner. She noted that anyone making slanderous or impertinent remarks could be barred from the meeting.
Councilman Chris Mauritz noted that the exchanges on social media between certain parties were off the wall and crazy. The council voted to allow public participation. When Slater took the podium following two other speakers, she expressed her displeasure in how the denial of her request for extra time to speak was handled.
Slater said she was recently at the Crawford County Antique Farm Equipment Family Day when she was approached by a person who recognized someone who was a sex offender attending the event. Telling the council this concerned her, she noted that there was no local ordinance that states sex offenders are not allowed to be in public areas.
She asked that the health and safety committee look into the possibility of drafting such an ordinance. The matter was referred to the committee. On a parting note, she said she was disappointed in the way the council handled her request for extra time and the way Carolyn Shireman responded towards her by moving to stop public participation.
She noted that, in her opinion, Council members should be held to a higher standard for their conduct. At that time, Shireman began to respond to Slater. Kevin Myers called for a point of order asking that Shireman be removed from the council meeting. Council President Kurt Fankhauser warned Shireman to remain quiet the required three times before asking for a motion to remove her.
During a roll call of votes to remove Shireman from the meeting, every council person voted to have her removed. Shireman became visibly upset at people in the audience that she thought were laughing at her, pointedly, former council member Dan Wirebaugh. Shireman did not leave quietly.
Law Director Brian Gernert, along with Safety Service Director Tommy Starner, escorted Shireman, who was verbally opposing the decision, as she exited the meeting. Shireman even asked to stay to speak as a resident but was also denied that opportunity.
Council President Kurt Fankhauser took a brief recess to regroup. Following the recess, Slater came back to the podium and thanked the Council for doing the right thing by removing Shireman from the meeting. Slater told the Council that even though she didn’t agree with everything they said, she would always respect their opinions.
Currently, 175 registered sex offenders live in Crawford County, with 37 of those registered sex offenders living in the city of Bucyrus. According to sources familiar with the presence and monitoring of sex offenders in the county, Crawford County Now learned that state and federal mandates are in place that tell sex offenders where they may and may not live. However, their movements cannot be directed by law.
Sex offenders usually serve their time and are no longer on community control. Sex offenders must register with the sheriff’s department in whatever county they reside. For instance, a tier 3 sex offender must register with the sheriff’s department in the county where they reside every 90 days for life.
Laws in Ohio dictate prison sentences for sex offenders. In many cases, convicted high-level sex offenders with young victims are sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. State and federal laws supersede any local ordinances.
Crawford County Now sent an email to Law Director Brian Gernert for a comment on the use of such an ordinance (if constitutional) in the city of Bucyrus, how the ordinance would be enforced, and what penalties would be possible if such an ordinance were established. Crawford County Now has not yet received a response from the Law Director.
Resident Clarissa Slater provided the following comment: “I am disappointed in Mrs. Shireman’s collusion with Mr. Fankhauser to silence constituent voices during public participation and her flagrant disrespect for me and her fellow council members. Her behavior is not in line with her position, and her continued service would undermine the integrity of the council as a whole. However, I commend the rest of the council’s action in remedying the situation, especially Mr. Myers, for calling for her removal. I would also like to thank the Bucyrus Police Department for their swift response and for ensuring public safety. Moving forward, I hope we can all work towards providing our children’s safety.”—Clarissa Slater
When asked for a comment, Councilwoman Shireman said this: “I would like to take this opportunity to publicly apologize for my behavior at Tuesday’s Council meeting. I can promise that I will be working very hard to make improvements.”
Crawford County will provide updates on this issue as more information becomes available.