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Silvis mayor rebukes alderman's social-media posts, defends administrator
Summary
Mayor Bob Cervantes publicly criticized social-media posts by Alderman Craig Pirmann that he said mischaracterized personnel decisions, accused an alderman of seeking to place his spouse in a staff accountant role, and stated a prior lawsuit was handled and paid by the city's insurer, not by council vote.
Mayor Bob Cervantes used part of the April 21 Silvis City Council meeting to respond to recent social-media posts by Alderman Craig Pirmann, saying the posts contained inaccurate claims about city personnel decisions and a prior lawsuit.
Cervantes said the city does not currently have a staff accountant, and that "what has not been said is that there has been pressure to create or fill that position in a way that benefits a specific individual. Specifically, an alderman wants his wife promoted into that position." He added that personnel decisions are made on the city's needs rather than political relationships and said he stands behind City Administrator Jerry.
On a separate point about litigation, Cervantes said a lawsuit involving a former administrator "was handled by the city's insurance carrier. The city did not choose to settle the case, and the city Council did not vote on it. The insurer made that decision and paid the settlement." The transcript contains no on-the-record rebuttal from Alderman Pirmann.
The council later entered closed session under 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(1) (personnel) and 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(2) (negotiations); closed session opened at 7:12 p.m. and closed at 8:43 p.m. When the meeting resumed, Alderwoman Chrissy Winters stated that "no action" was taken in closed session.
Cervantes framed his remarks as an effort to provide accurate information to the public and to defend the administrator's performance; he said council business should focus on moving the city forward rather than personal agendas.
The transcript records the mayor's comments verbatim as noted above; the mayor's allegations about another alderman's intent and the insurer's actions were presented as the mayor's account and are not independently documented in the meeting record.
