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| -Short Attention Span Theater- |
| City sends cease and desist order after exposé on council members... |
| 2009-05-20 |
| City administrators have sent a letter to a local Website operator, ordering her to remove information related to municipal offices, City Council members learned at Monday's work session. The cease-and-desist order was sent last week to Katie Schwartz, who oversees the everythingconneautohio.com Web site. The letter was authorized by City Manager Robert Schaumleffel Jr. Ward 1 Councilman Dave Campbell, who has promoted the Web site, was outraged by the letter, calling it “garbage. We cannot dictate how she runs her business,” he said. At the end of the meeting, Campbell made a motion that would order Schaumleffel to rescind the letter and apologize to Schwartz. The motion was defeated by a 3-3 vote. Voting yes were Campbell, Ward 2 Councilman Charles Lewis and Ward 3 Councilman Greg Mooney. Opposed were Council President James Jones, Councilman-at-Large Chris Castrilla and Ward 4 Councilman Tony Julio. Absent was Councilman-at-Large Jacob Chicatelli. Schaumleffel said he did not want to see Schwartz's for-profit Web site be mistaken as the official city of Conneaut Web site, which is being overhauled by another individual. "We can't turn the city Web page into a commercial site," he said. The manager said he would gladly create a link on the city page to Schwartz's site. “I’m trying to keep this on a business basis,” Schaumleffel said. Disclosure of the cease-and-desist letter followed some terse words Schaumleffel directed at Schwartz at the beginning of the meeting. The manager said he understood Schwartz made accusations about him at a town hall-style meeting Thursday night. Schaumleffel used Schwartz as a springboard to rail against what he said was an organized campaign among some to “dig up dirt” on his administrative staff. “I am tired of the dirt,” he said. “I don't know what the hell is going on. These personal attacks are going to stop. I'm really tired of the personal attacks.” The manager also scolded council members who attended the meeting and didn't speak on his behalf, without naming names, Schaumleffel said the same tactics prompted interim city manager Edward Somppi to abruptly resign last summer. “It didn't start with me and or end with me, but I'm going to try to put a stop to it,” he said. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #6 Not to worry Seafarious -this is comedy gold and not at all serious, other than in the minds of the City Manager, the Law Director, and three councilmen. It is a classic example of the private sector embarassing the pants off of the public sector, and likely at a very small fraction of the price. It gets a bit serious with the coercive legal nature of the City's whining, and very serious as soon as anyone begins asking why Conneaut (pronounced as in "Connie ought", not "connote") even needs a city manager, a law director, and in all liklihood, a city council. Alas, this former buckeye can only hope. |
| Posted by: Phineth the Anonymous8743 2009-05-20 17:45 |
| #5 Sounds to me like the 'good city manager' is pissed because she was able to get a website up weeks before the 'offical' website (which probably sucks anyway). I'm betting Mr. Manager is an avid Obama supporter too. Here is a link to what appears to be the 'offical' site: http://www.conneaut.net/. Still under construction. |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2009-05-20 11:07 |
| #4 She has all the businesses advertised except Bail Bondsmen. The city manager keeps this up he's going to need one. |
| Posted by: Jack is Back! 2009-05-20 10:15 |
| #3 since when do city managers control the internet? |
| Posted by: funky skunk 2009-05-20 09:59 |
| #2 The manager also scolded council members who attended the meeting and didn't speak on his behalf, without naming names, Need some cheese to go with that whine, Chief. |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2009-05-20 09:15 |
| #1 Here is her website: http://www.everythingconneautohio.com/ Here is the letter, in two parts: Part 1 Part 2 I find it particularly hilarious that the Law Director for the city is named - Lori Lamer. Comedy gold, if it wasn't so gosh darn serious. |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2009-05-20 09:14 |
