The Village of Ferrelview is down a trustee following a special meeting last month.
Russell Wilson, who is currently facing a bevy of criminal charges in Platte County, was asked to resign by chairman Phil Gilliam.
The village was notified by the Platte County Prosecutor’s Office that Wilson has a felony on his record in Michigan, which would’ve made him ineligible to run for office. He ran for trustee in 2016 and won a spot on the board that he technically wasn’t eligible for following a burglary conviction in Michigan.
The meeting started with Gilliam asking Wilson if he got the letter that was sent to him.
In response, Wilson read a pre-written statement:
“Response to letter dated September 11th, 2018. You called a special session to address the allegations you made in your letter to me September 11th, 2018, which states in part; It has come to the Board of Trustees attention that the declaration of candidacy submitted on September 13th, 2016 contained a serious misrepresentation, specifically you indicated that you had not been convicted of a felony in the state of Missouri and that you had not been convicted of an offense in any other state that would be considered a felony in the state of Missouri. First you do not specify anywhere, nor am I aware of, any conviction in the state of Missouri of any felony. Therefore my previous statement remains correct. Next you allege that I was convicted of a felony in the state of Michigan. Regardless of whether you conducted a background check, you fail to show how any conviction in the state of Michigan would be considered a felony in the state of Missouri. Therefore your allegations stated are without merit, unless and until, you show me of any conviction in the state of Michigan, which you referred to in your letter, would be a felony in the state of Missouri. Unless and until then, any actions by this board, for public removal, will be without basis or merit. You also state in order to avoid a spectacle the board is willing to accept your resignation, I say to you at this time there is no basis for and therefore I absolutely refuse to resign my position as a board member of the Board of Trustees of Ferrelview based on groundless accusations. If this board decides to pursue such action, it will indeed, because of your actions, become a spectacle, for I intend to fully and vigorously defend any such action.”
According to the minutes, an argument between Gilliam, Wilson and trustee Teresa Wilson and a member of the audience followed. Russell Wilson said he had an attorney look at his letter and said he would fight it.
“This is a special lynching session of Russell Wilson,” he said.
He walked out of the meeting 30 minutes after it started.
A day after the meeting, he emailed his letter of resignation to the village.
Wilson is facing a felony count of stealing by deception, a Class D felony, acceding to corruption, a Class E felony and a Class D misdemeanor charge of stealing filed by the Platte County Prosecutor’s Office in June.
According to court documents, the village of Ferrelview put two former police cars up for auction through sealed bid process in December 2017. One was a White 2005 Ford Crown Victoria and the other a Brown 2002 Ford Crown Victoria.
In January the winners of the bids were announced at the board of trustees meeting.
Gary Bowman put in a bid for $2,500 on the 2005 vehicle. He attempted to inspect the vehicle three different times but Wilson denied each chance, once by not providing the keys, once by disconnecting the battery and once by moving the vehicle from city hall to his residence.
The probable cause statement alleges Wilson, who bid $1,100 on the 2005 and $550 on the 2002, wound up buying the 2005 for the $550 after falsely reporting to the board that the $2,500 bidder declined to purchase the vehicle.
The prosecutor alleges that Wilson had the title of the white Crown Victoria, which included the manufacture year, in his possession. On Feb. 26, Wilson requested that the village transfer ownership of the 2005 Crown Victoria to him for $550.
During a board meeting, Wilson said he would sell the car back to the city for the $550 he paid, plus $100 in work he had put into the vehicle. At the time, he said he wanted to make sure the village got as much money for it as possible.
September meeting
In the regularly scheduled meeting last month, Teresa Wilson, the former chairman of the board, questioned a bill from the Ensz and Jester Law Firm.
The firm was hired to handle the impeachment process against her and Wilson questioned who approved the use. The board voted in favor of hiring the law firm in one of the many meetings that both of the Wilsons missed following the April election.
A lengthy discussion was held about ambulance service and the time AMR takes to respond to calls in the village. A recent example showed a nearly 20-minute wait before they arrived. A similar complaint happened earlier this year following a shooting in the village. Trustee John Rydholm noted the long response time could put lives at risk.
Residents Wesley Johnston, Erin Spear, Tina Jackson, May Gilliam and Mary Hohimer were appointed to the board of zoning adjustment, while Frank Baumann, Renee Smith and Bart Whorton were named alternates.
Other news
The clerk noted the village received a bill from the Quitmeier Law firm dated April 2017. Teresa Wilson believed the village was doubled billed and that is why the bill wasn’t paid.
A motion was approved to refill the propane tank for city hall.
Kevin Turley, the chief water operator, billed the city for a water main break repair in August. A two-inch valve near Anderson Apartments failed due to rusting bolts.