BUCYRUS, OH (CRAWFORD COUNTY NOW)—In Tuesday’s regular meeting of the Bucyrus City Council, tensions ran high as public participation devolved into a confrontation between an Galion Resident and the council President Kurt Fankhauser. Clarissa Slater, the newly appointed council member, officially took her seat, replacing Carolyn Shireman after her appointment by the Republican Central Committee last Thursday.
The meeting escalated when Galion resident Keith French publicly addressed Council President Kurt Fankhauser, speaking for over ten minutes. Accompanied by what appeared to be a service dog, French voiced serious grievances, asserting that the city would soon face federal charges of elder abuse and violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
French criticized a previous comment made by Fankhauser in an article, which French interpreted as fat-shaming, stating he was told to “take the fork out of his mouth.” He expressed his outrage regarding the comment, which was temporarily posted before being removed. French, who battled stage four Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, claimed that he possesses a criminal justice degree and extensive knowledge of legal matters, insisting that the council was infringing on his civil rights by enforcing a speaking time limit.
The situation intensified as French was ultimately removed from the meeting after indicating that his lawyer was monitoring the proceedings and threatening a federal lawsuit.
Bucyrus Law Director Brandon Gobrecht clarified that Fankhauser’s personal remarks do not represent the views of the entire council. Later in the meeting, Fankhauser faced censure for both his comments directed at French and another derogatory remark referring to “half ton sisters.”
While Gobrecht has recently gained authority to practice in Federal Court, he stated that the city has not been officially notified of any federal lawsuit, despite French’s claims of having filed a case in Federal Court in Columbus. Notably, Bucyrus is located in the Northern District, which differs from the Columbus District.