CENTERBURG — The Centerburg Council met Monday with around 20 citizens present, in addition to council members and other officials.
Mayor George Shaw opened the meeting by saying he was disappointed in an article that ran in the Jan. 25 issue of the Centerburg Gazette, which he said portrayed him in a negative light and led some people to believe he voted against a development project based on a personal bias.
The article included comments made by Shaw regarding a previous decision by council to pay $25,000 for sewer lines to the Whistlestop project, a project proposed by Bob Griffith. Shaw had voted against council’s paying the $25,000.
Shaw said he voted with the residents’ best interests in mind, but did apologize to Griffith at Monday’s meeting. Griffith was present, but had no response to Shaw’s apology.
Councilwoman Diana Stockmaster read a statement condemning the remarks made by Shaw, and, in addition, demanded a written apology and a statement that the Village Council did not support his comments. Stockmaster said she would like to see this issue resolved by next month’s council meeting, and said again that the council wanted to distance itself from the personal remarks made by Shaw. Councilman Jerry Hess said the previous mayor supported the Whistlestop project, while Shaw did not support it, but did support the Morningview Care Center project.
In the roundtable discussion, Councilman Jack Tucker noted that some people are turning right on red in the village with little or no regard to pedestrians crossing the street. Tucker said he doesn’t think they should be arrested, but it should be brought to their attention.
Tucker also wanted to pass a resolution making Valentine’s Day the Heart of Ohio Day, as a way to build Centerburg’s reputation as the center and heart of Ohio. Shaw agreed and said he’d like to see the return of festivities similar to the 1960s.