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Irondale council adds censure resolution against Councilor Cindy Cuellar after months of public dispute
Summary
The Irondale City Council voted to add a resolution formally censuring Councilor Cindy Cuellar to the meeting agenda after heated debate among council members and a large public turnout. Cuellar denied the allegations; supporters and critics spoke during public comment.
Irondale City Council members voted on June 3, 2025 to add a resolution (R109) to formally censure Councilor Cindy Cuellar, placing the matter on the meeting agenda after extended discussion and public comment.
The measure, read aloud by Council President David Spivey and presented by council members supporting the action, lists repeated conduct the authors called "unbecoming a public official," including alleged public statements they characterized as misleading or damaging to the city. Council President David Spivey said, "That item has been formally added to the agenda." The motion to add the item passed on roll call: Councilman John London, Councilman Box, Councilman Aaron Sims and Spivey voted yes; Cuellar voted no.
The resolution text, read into the record by Spivey, accused Cuellar of making "accusatory, baseless, and unfounded allegations" about fellow council members and city finances, of making public comments the sponsors regarded as derogatory toward new businesses, and of improperly accessing restricted areas of City Hall. Aaron Sims, who requested preparation of the resolution, told the council he had asked for the item to be prepared and said the final decision would be made by the council as a body.
Cuellar denied the charges during the meeting and repeatedly called the statements in the resolution false. She told the council, "Number 1 is false. Number 2 is false. Number 3 is false. Number 4 is false. Number 5 is false. All of these are false comments." She defended taking concerns to the media and characterized her actions as attempts to highlight issues in the city's financial reporting.
Public comment at the meeting was sharply divided. Several residents voiced support for the censure, describing a pattern of remarks and conduct they said were inappropriate; others called the move a political ambush and urged civility. Sergei Kilich, a speaker from the audience, urged the council to hold Cuellar accountable; another resident, Scott Lewis, said he had previously called for similar action.
Action vs. next steps: The council vote at the meeting added the censure resolution to the agenda; it was not adopted or rejected at the moment it was added. Council members and the public indicated the measure would return for formal consideration per the council's standard procedures.
Why it matters: The added resolution formalizes a reprimand process by the council and represents an escalation of a months‑long dispute over statements and conduct by an elected member. The item may result in a formal censure vote at a subsequent meeting, which would be an official rebuke by Cuellar's peers.
Sources in meeting: The summary above is drawn from the text of the resolution read by Council President David Spivey, statements by Councilor Aaron Sims and public remarks from Councilor Cindy Cuellar and multiple members of the public during the June 3 meeting.
