The Mayor stated that it would save taxpayer money to not do a national search. Unfortunately it appears money, time and resources will be spent defending this lawsuit.

Interesting that Mayor Welsch is defending the hiring of Lehman Walker. The hiring of Lehman Walker is not the issue. The issue is the process and deception with which he was hired, the resulting Sunshine violations, and the multiple other Sunshine violations that have taken place under the current administration.

I really wish people would get back to work and stop squabbling about the last election.

Cindy must not have read the lawsuit. It is only about removing Missouri's first African-American City Manager. Ms Carr did not support Shelly Welsch. She worked for Mr Wagner.
I hope the City vigerously defends the suit which appears to be from the imagination of Ms Carr and Mr Sullivan based on the number of times belief is used in the lawsuit.

This issue really raised a hornet's nest, I don't see how it matters who supported whom in the election. Once someone gets in office that's when their true colors come out those of us who hear them doing their campaign only hear what they want us to hear. I know we can vet them, but how effective is that without the media are a party (political) to do it. It makes sense to select someone from home who you already know than someone from the outside that you have to take someone else's opinion of. Mr. Walker is a known commodity (I didn't live in U. City at the time he served before) but the people I spoke to about him had high praise for his prior service.

This has nothing to do with race, take a look at the individuals filing the suit. Mr. Walker is not African, he is Canadian.
When a government doesn't follow the laws and proceedures set up to protect citizens' interests, it is up to us to correct this. It may seem expensive to us now, but how expensive do you think a poorly operating government is? How about the Bell City CA Councilmembers that make about $100,000 for part-time work? When citizens do not step up to correct a problem that may seem small at the time, over the long run will cost much more.

Hi all, I'm glad for the feedback. But complaints have been filed with my parent company AOL about a particular user with an alias, making disparaging remarks about one of the plaintiffs. AOL removed the user's comments. I'm all for a spirited debate, but would appreciate it if we could keep a cordial tone, and not make personal attacks. If you have any questions concerning the removal feel free to contact me at myra.lopez@patch.com, 314-616-2920. Thank you in advance. Myra
Here is a link to Patch's posting policy.
http://patch.com/A-gjS5

OMG! Do people think this will help us solve important problems in our community? All it will do is generate a needless, wasteful legal fees bill, possibly including fees for drafting this Petition (which could be awarded as part of the remedy requested). If not carefully monitored, fees could run deep into six figures or more, money we need for police, fire, parks, etc. The lawsuit could result in invalidating some Council actions, which could and would in turn promptly be validated again by a "correct and public" vote -- since there is no reason to believe a Council majority today opposes them. That is why this is the worst kind of tilting-at-windmills lawsuit abuse. It is also why it absolutely IS about the last election. The fact is that a duly elected majority supports these actions and a disappointed losing minority opposes them. Complaining about procedures can't change that result, but it can impair our progress under new leadership. BTW, "consensus" can very well mean a unanimous vote, which is certainly permissible. It can mean merely a majority but some dictionaries say a synonym is "unanimity." Lastly, I shudder to see yet another story in the Post (and Patch) about bitter partisanship in U. City. The lawsuit, should it continue, promises to regularly generate media attention of the wrong kind for our community. Bad press has a very real cost, as our image in the broader community affects decisions of individuals and businesses as to relocation, shopping, etc.

Reading through those emails makes me sick. I have never met Joyce P, but she should fired. The others are politicians, and unfortunately I expect lies and deceit from them. Walker should be smart enough to not email things like this from his work email account..especially when you work for a government. We are paying him 130K a year, and he's not smart enough to know to use a personal email account. I see why he and Ricci get along so well, they must have went to the same "email" school!

Throwing out things like who you supported in the election or the fact that Lehman Walker is the first black City Manager really misses the point of all of this - what the city council did was wrong. They went around voters to hire Mr. Walker, giving residents no option in the matter. I really like the city that I live in. University City is diverse and filled with culture - and you can get some awesome food and entertainment there - but it deserves better than what those emails reveal. It is too bad that a lawsuit has to act as a wake up call for citizens to be more proactive in their city and a message to the mayor and city council that they simply can't ram through a candidate for a well-paid position to spare us the expense of a job search for a new CM.

OK, I think they got the "wake up call." Now drop the lawsuit and save us the money, divisiveness, and embarrassment in the eyes of the wider community.

Here's what I want to know: how's Mr. Walker doing? Is this a genuine issue about whether he's a good choice for the job -- or what? If it is, and he's doing an unacceptably poor job, try to convince the Council to fire him and start over. That won't have the lawyers running the meter like this lawsuit will.

As far as "going around voters," spare me! Voters elected this Council and Mayor. These elected officials, not the voters, choose the CM,. If you don't like their decisions, vote them out next time. That's democracy. In the meantime, let's move on, for the good of the community.

Cindy,
Not sure where you are coming from here. Is is patently obvious that the lawsuit IS about hiring Lehman Walker. The News Release from the plaintiffs, one of whom is your husband, Steve McMahon, clearly states, “The plaintiffs ask that the appointment of City Manager Lehman Walker be voided.”

I removed a comment from the stream after a complaint from a reader. Again, Patch promotes spirited debate but does not want to alienate readers by allowing comments some may find offensive. This is the Patch posting policy. http://patch.com/A-gjS5. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. myra.lopez@patch.com 314-616-2920.

@Nick h. If walker or plum had nothing to hide, then why did they not comply with the sunshine request. It seems to me the only people cunning about deceptions are walker, plumm, ricci, and welch. I don't know why you are calling me cunning in my deceptions? And what difference does it make if I go to the meetings, if joyce does her job correctly I get everything I need in the meeting minutes...which I read from cover to cover.

The phrase "vote the bums out" or alternately, "throw the bums out" is a family common idiomatic expression (240,000 Google results just now) referring to the opportunity for voters to rid themselves of incumbant politicians they feel are not doing their jobs come election time. It was not directed at anyone in particular, and I apologise if the reader did not understand the reference.

If the Patch does not allow citizens to suggest that their local politicians are being dishonest or lacking in integrity, then so be it. As I rewrite my post I will try to find another adjective suitable to describe elected officials who say one thing publicly while clandestinely doing quite the opposite. Any suggestions?

Myra I appreciate the forums and open disucusions. Not to menion we are finally getting some good reporting. since i work for a large news organization I feel you fit the nische we needed in the city. In regards to deleting the comments it seems some latitude has to be given, otherwise, someone will find something offensive with anything they don't agree with.

Thanks again for all the feedback. The site has been up since December and I appreciate everyone who has embraced it. I'm trying to find my footing as the moderator. As I stated in an earlier comment the first post was deleted when a reader contacted AOL and AOL deleted the post. I wanted to acknowledge that the post had been deleted, so I mentioned it to the readers. Before that time, I had received complaints but felt it was not prudent to start deleting comments, as it would lead to the situation we find ourselves in.

Holston, I'm white and I agree 100%. The more time you spend online the more you'll see people willing to say things under cover of pseudonyms they would never have the guts to say face to face or have associated with their name. For some reason, print publications insist on verifiable names and addresses, but online ones don't. Same policy should apply, I'd say.

Don't want to take this thread off topic, but I support Mr. Lenard and Mr. Black in the use of real names. It's not because I think it is wrong or irresponsible to use a alias or handle online. Rather, it's because in a place as small as U-City I see little value in trying to hide your identity.

I respect those who choose to use only their first names. Certainly, I understand not everyone wants to be google-able for safety and privacy reasons.

I wonder how comments made under alias' really contribute to the goal of actively working together to positively impact our community, a goal which everyone here does seem to share. To me, the online world is a part of the real world and our interactions here could (and should, in my opinion) easily translate into face-to-face discussions. I think we have to understand, however, that the Patch is not responsible for making sure that this kind of dialogue happens.

Anonymous letters to the editor are published everyday, right? We have to respect that. Patch comments are not the same thing. They present a gray area between the traditional LTE and online posts that is still being negotiated. I think of the Patch comments as more akin to a group of citizens having a discussion of a print news source in a coffee shop. The publisher is no longer responsible for the discourse. But in a coffee shop we could talk face to face, share our real identity and get to know each other as people. That usually helps keep things civil.

This issue of whether one uses their full name, first name, last name or a pseudonym is irrelevant. I see no more validity to someone who uses their first name, whether I know their identity or not. This is a public forum for readers to express their opinions. I also think the Patch has to be very, very careful in how it removes comments. If the only criteria is whether a complaint was received and not whether the complaint was in violation of any posting policy, we will be heading down a slippery slope. Does this mean I can complain about any comment which I find offensive and have it removed? If we go that route, we'll have no comments left. While I have found many comments on various articles in the Patch extremely offensive and personal in nature, I nonetheless respect the right of the person to post them. The decision as to whether a post violates Patch rules should fall solely to the moderator, who in this case is Myra. I'm more than willing, as I assume that most of us are, to have her decide when a post has crossed the line, regardless of whether a complaint has been filed with Myra, AOL, or anyone else. If she deems that a post does not meet the guidelines, it should be removed. If it does not violate any of the posting policies, it should remain. Myra, as much as I understand that you do not want this role, it is part of the responsibility of a moderator. I would hope that in the future you will not remove posts merely because there was a complaint.

Freedom of speech is a constitutional right and equal to(and in some minds greater) is the right to vote. Try and use a pseudonym when casting a vote. I don't expect some people who have not walked in my shoes to understand what we African Americans have gone through with groups like the Ku Klux Klan. It's easy to forget, if you ever knew the atrocities that were meted out by men who hid their identities under hoods and robes. Myra if someone using a pseudonym wrote in to you or AOL would their complaint be taken seriously? If so why? They could be a 9 year old or someone else who doesn't meet the criteria of Patch.

Myra, to answer Mr. Black's question, I don't think it is relevant at all whether the complainant is 9 or 90, black or white, rich or poor, named or anonymous. If the post violates Patch guidelines, it should be taken down regardless of whether a complaint is registered or not. Conversely, if a post does not violate guidelines, it should not be removed regardless of whether a complaint is made. Removal of a post has to be based upon a set of rules, not a particular individual's sensitivity to criticism. Since you are the moderator, it is up to you to be the judge and jury as to what is acceptable and what is not.

Consultant, Your post cleary asked why Joyce P and Lehman W did not comply with the sunshine law. I am not sure how you could be aware that there was no sunshine law request made to Joyce and Lehman and ask the questions that you asked.
You did in fact say that Lehman was not smart enough to use a private e mail. I trust that Mr. Walker is very intelligent, dignified and capable. The entire Council Voted on the hiring of Lehman Walker and my understanding that Terry Crow was the only one who disagreed. It would seem that it could easily be infered that you would have been smart to not ask the question regarding why Joyce P and Lehman W did not comply with a sunshine law request when in fact you claim to be aware that no such request was made. I would futher infer that your initial character assasination attempt on Joyce P and Lehman W. was uncalled for and lacking in common curtisy. My opinion and your opinions are not the issue and more cathartic than substanative. I am still confused in your latest reply that you make reference to sending "internal information". The citizens of the community have asked for transparency and yet the substance of the internal information was such you have a grave concern that it was shared. Governments accross the board would go belly up if they were held to the same standards that businesses are. Businesses have to make profits, Governments function as long as they have a tax base. What is normaly done does not qualify as a law. Nick Fred

@nick. I guess we will just have to agree to disagree....I'm off to miami for 2 weeks and don't plan to look at this site or think about all the troubles in our little town until imreturn. If your looking for me to say you win our debate...ill say it, but it doesn't change my opinions on this topic. Enjoy your week.