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Residents raise concerns about tree work and mayoral eligibility during public comment
Summary
Public commenters alleged unauthorized tree-removal work and questioned the eligibility of Mayor Eddie Oliver to have run for office; the council and citizens exchanged heated comments and the body deferred some actions pending executive session and further documentation.
Multiple members of the public used the provost/public-comment period to raise complaints about recent tree removal and the mayoral application process. Ron Leshner (speaker 12) said he filed a suit alleging unauthorized tree work and asked that the council not pay the contractor, calling the action an improper "walk-in" authorization rather than a properly documented agenda item.
A separate commenter (speaker 7, who identified themselves as Melissa) alleged the city accepted an ineligible mayoral application and said a complaint had been filed with the secretary of state over falsified felony-conviction information; Melissa read a prepared statement asserting the mayor had registered to vote after the registration window and therefore was ineligible to submit an application to run. Excerpting the statement, Melissa said: "This made him ineligible to submit a ballot of application to run in the election for mayor." The claims produced heated rebuttals from some council members and residents.
Because the tree matter involved pending litigation, councilors moved to suspend action on payment until after an executive session. The meeting record shows that the council planned to gather relevant documentation, ask staff to produce minutes and records for review, and defer formal payment decisions until after legal review.
