CENTERBURG — The controversy surrounding statements made by Centerburg Mayor George Shaw continues to be an issue at Village Council meetings. At Monday’s meeting, several people spoke about the article printed in the Centerburg Gazette on Jan. 25; others addressed the allegations lodged against Shaw at last month’s council meeting by resident Andy Wharton. Councilmembers Susan Oswalt and Diana Stockmaster were absent from the meeting.
The statements involved an alleged reference to a good old boys network and the village providing funding for sewer for the Whistlestop project.
Allan Reed, editor of the Gazette, defended Mary Kinsman, the reporter who interviewed Shaw and wrote the article. Reed said the article was accurate and that Kinsman had been unfairly accused of bias.
Later in the meeting, Shaw directly responded to the article, as well as to allegations leveled at him by Wharton.
“What I’m trying to accomplish,” said Shaw as he prepared to read from a statement, “is putting something in the past.”
Shaw said he apologized to Bob Griffith at the council meeting in February, and also said his statements printed in the Gazette were taken out of context. He said the interview in question was supposed to be about his plans for the next four years in office, not about events that happened in the past.
“In no way was this an attempt to attack Mr. Griffith as it is being portrayed,” said Shaw.
Shaw responded to a number of demands presented by Stockmaster at the February council meeting, and explained why he had done or said certain things. He also provided photocopies of the article as well as a partial transcript of the interview. Shaw said the list of demands presented was written up by members of the Village Council, along with Wharton.
“Council and Andy Wharton [got] together, without my knowledge, and [came] up with this list [of demands],” said Shaw, adding that no one ever contacted him directly with concerns stemming from the article.
“At no time did any councilperson call me with issues or concerns [about] this article,” he said. “To this day, no resident of this village has come to [my] office, telephoned me, e-mailed me or written to me in regard to this article.”
At last month’s council meeting, Wharton accused Shaw of double-dipping by attending fire board meetings and receiving payments from the fire board and council for attending. Shaw defended his actions, saying that when he first noticed the fact he asked the clerk if it was appropriate. He said if he was told it was appropriate, and is allowed by law, then he sees nothing wrong with it.
Becky Shaw, George’s wife, condemned the Gazette for printing what she referred to as “nonsense,” and said the paper seemed to be on Wharton’s side.
“[The Gazette] seems to have joined forces with Andy [Wharton] in his agenda in trying to bring down the mayor,” she said.
Becky Shaw also condemned Wharton’s allegations at last month’s council meeting as “lies.” She defended her husband as a true public servant with the interests of the village at heart, and alleged that Wharton was angry at her husband after he defeated him in the last election.
“Grudges ... resentment, vengeance and hostility take root when you dwell on certain events or situations,” she said, before explaining that certain grudges are hard to let go of, and could possibly be affecting Wharton’s actions. She said Wharton was the driving force behind the majority of council’s criticism of her husband.
Centerburg resident Don Williams also spoke on behalf of George Shaw. Williams questioned Wharton’s integrity, and said Shaw was not the only person on the council who has made mistakes. Williams called on the council to end the situation and put it behind them.
Councilman Jack Tucker agreed, and said that it was time to move ahead, even though mistakes were made. He said he did not sign the list of demands presented by Stockmaster, and that he admired Shaw even more now.
Also on the meeting agenda included a presentation by Gary Walters of Rinehart, Walters, Danner and Associates about the proposed insurance policy for the village. Waters went through all of the positive aspects of the proposed policy, and notified the council that with this policy, it would save about $250 per year at proposed coverage rates. However, he said, if the village wanted more coverage, the policy would cost more.
Council also heard from Robert Jurs of GGJ Consulting Engineers. Jurs explained how the company had a low number of employees and worked exclusively with smaller municipalities, mainly in the northern part of Ohio. He said he wanted to show that his firm was competitive and that he had heard of potential water and wastewater projects in the village from his personal friend, Phil Lohmeyer, who is Centerburg’s village administrator.
In other business:
•Lohmeyer reported that the EPA visited the village’s sewer treatment plant and requested a plan for expanding the existing plant, or a plan for expanding service for more rural locations nearby.
•Lohmeyer also reported that because the water tower needs repainted, he is seeking council’s approval to begin seeking bids for the project.
•The council unanimously approved a permit for a Memorial Day parade on May 26.
