Scott City Council reinstates police chief

Scott City’s City Council reinstated David Leeman as police chief Tuesday, little more than a week after he submitted his resignation.

The turnabout came after Mayor Ron Cummins resigned Monday amid calls for an investigation into allegations he had abused his office, including interfering in police investigations.

Council members voted 6-1 to reinstate Leeman after the former chief withdrew his resignation. Councilman Pat Brazel cast the lone dissenting vote. A crowd of about 40 people in attendance broke out in applause after the vote.

Leeman, dressed in civilian clothes, thanked the council for placing him back in charge of the police department.

Leeman told the council, “Not only the city, but the department needs stability moving forward.”

State Rep. Holly Rehder said in a letter to Scott County Sheriff Wes Drury calling for an investigation into the actions of the mayor that constituents told her Leeman had been pressured to resign.

Scott City police Lt. Mike Culler, who had been serving as interim chief, welcomed Leeman’s return.

“I have never been so happy to have him back,” Culler told the council.

Besides Cummins, city administrator Diann Ulmer also resigned Monday. She cited a heavy workload for the position in stepping down.

Councilman Randy Morse, who chaired the council meeting in the absence of mayor pro tem Norman Brandt, said Ulmer “has been a tremendous asset.”

He said he was “saddened” by her resignation.

Councilman Mike Ellison told Ulmer, who attended the meeting, she would be “truly missed.”

Brant, who took over as mayor after Cummins’ resignation Monday, said hours before the council meeting he wants his fellow council members to feel free to discuss any issue and “get it out in the open.”

The new mayor was unable to attend the meeting.

He said earlier in the day he would be absent because of a scheduled trip to the Mayo Clinic with his adult daughter, who has a serious health issue.

Scott City voters elected Cummins to a four-year term as mayor in April 2016.

Brant said he will fill the position of mayor until a special election can be held in April 2018 to fill the remaining two years of the unexpired term.

According to city attorney Francis Siebert, Brant can continue to serve as mayor and a councilman until the April election.

As a result, he can vote on issues as a councilman and break ties as the mayor, Siebert said.

But Brant said earlier in the day he would like, with council approval, to appoint someone to fill his council seat.

Brant said he hopes the resignation of Cummins will bring an end to the issues surrounding the city government. Brant said Cummins gave him a letter of resignation.

“He said his heart was in the city, but he felt like the city was kind of divided right now, and he didn’t think it would heal if he stayed as mayor,” Brant said.

The new mayor said Cummins resigned because “he said the city should come first.”

Joyce Roth of Roth Hardware said under Cummins, the city had stopped doing business with her store.

But Morse assured Roth at Tuesday’s meeting the city will do business with her store and others in town.

Roth said she hopes the council also will “correct other bad decisions that he (Cummins) has made.”

Morse told those in attendance, “Let’s put the past behind us and move forward.”

mbliss@semissourian.com

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