by Thomas Essel
10-29-2015
Springfield City Councilmember Kristi Fulnecky is a slanderer and possibly the most unprofessional member of our current city council – Justin Burnett included.
On Monday, Mayor Bob Stephens requested that the city’s Plans and Policies committee review Mr. Burnett’s new indecent exposure ordinance for possible 1st and 14th amendment violations. As happenstance would have it, the ACLU filed the first part of their complaint against the city the same day. Mrs. Fulnecky, however, is taking that coincidence and attempting to construct a mountain from a molehill.
According to KSPR, Mayor Stephens claim to have known nothing about the lawsuit prior to writing a letter to the Plans and Policies committee, but Mrs. Fulnecky is claiming that Stephens is being “misleading” about his knowledge of the suit. "The mayor did know about this lawsuit,” said Fulnecky.
Mrs. Fulnecky is attempting to make Mayor Stephens look like a liar and a coward. Unfortunately, the facts do not lend any credibility to her claim. The Plans and Policies committee met and read the Mayor’s letter on Monday, but the city wasn’t actually served with the suit until Tuesday. Furthermore, the Plans and Policies committee met at noon, but the first mention of the suit in the media was by Mike Landis of KY3 on Facebook, where he wrote, “BREAKING: The ACLU is suing the City of Springfield over the recently-enacted indecent exposure law.” That was at 8:07pm. How did the Mayor know the lawsuit had been filed? He couldn’t possibly have known. According to Jessica Lawson, a plaintiff named in the ACLU’s complaint, nobody knew about the timing of the lawsuit except for the plaintiffs and their legal representatives.
It seems that Fulnecky is purposely trying to misconstrue the Mayors comments. Of course the Mayor, and everyone else for that matter, knew that a lawsuit was possible, perhaps even likely, but that does not mean that the Mayor actually knew suit had been filed or that he is privy to any otherwise confidential legal information. Why would Fulnecky misconstrue the Mayors words? Because she is upset that Mr. Stephens requested that the ordinance be reviewed and is lashing out like a petulant child.
On her Facebook account, Fulnecky wrote, “This law was passed after literally hundreds of emails, letters, and calls from constituents. To ignore the will of Springfield citizens is to tell them they have no voice in their own government.” She has also accused the Mayor of trying to circumvent the legislative process, calling his request to the Plans and Policies committee “disturbing.”
Firstly, the Mayor requested the review because the law potentially violates two Constitutional amendments. Does Mrs. Fulnecky truly believe that the rule of mobs should override the rule of law? Fulnecky is painting herself as nothing more than a demagogue, pandering to the prejudices of the majority. For someone that makes a show of being a lawyer, Mrs. Fulnecky doesn’t seem to understand that justice is deaf to the mob’s clamor.
Secondly, the Mayor is not circumventing the legislative process by appealing to the committee. No, the Mayor is actually doing his job by protecting citizens from government overreach and protecting the city from potentially costly legal consequences.
Fulnecky seems to be acting directly out of the Justin Burnett political backstabbing playbook: make baseless accusations and advance conspiracy theories. For his patience, moderation, and level-headed leadership throughout this fiasco, I think the Mayor deserves a round of applause from the people of Springfield, not the condemnation that Fulnecky is fomenting.
About Thomas Essel
Thomas Essel is a secular activist and writer. He serves as the Content Manager for The Original Motto Project, is a regular contributor to the Patheos blog Danthropology, and his opinions have appeared in the Springfield News-Leader. Thomas lives in Springfield with his wife, two kids, and numerous cats.
You can contact Thomas at tcessel@gmail.com, or follow him on Twitter @TCEssel
10-29-2015
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| Councilwoman Kristi Fulnecky (middle) with Mindy Bialock Giovanni and Debra Brady at Metropolitan Grill. (Source: Facebook) |
Springfield City Councilmember Kristi Fulnecky is a slanderer and possibly the most unprofessional member of our current city council – Justin Burnett included.
On Monday, Mayor Bob Stephens requested that the city’s Plans and Policies committee review Mr. Burnett’s new indecent exposure ordinance for possible 1st and 14th amendment violations. As happenstance would have it, the ACLU filed the first part of their complaint against the city the same day. Mrs. Fulnecky, however, is taking that coincidence and attempting to construct a mountain from a molehill.
According to KSPR, Mayor Stephens claim to have known nothing about the lawsuit prior to writing a letter to the Plans and Policies committee, but Mrs. Fulnecky is claiming that Stephens is being “misleading” about his knowledge of the suit. "The mayor did know about this lawsuit,” said Fulnecky.
Mrs. Fulnecky is attempting to make Mayor Stephens look like a liar and a coward. Unfortunately, the facts do not lend any credibility to her claim. The Plans and Policies committee met and read the Mayor’s letter on Monday, but the city wasn’t actually served with the suit until Tuesday. Furthermore, the Plans and Policies committee met at noon, but the first mention of the suit in the media was by Mike Landis of KY3 on Facebook, where he wrote, “BREAKING: The ACLU is suing the City of Springfield over the recently-enacted indecent exposure law.” That was at 8:07pm. How did the Mayor know the lawsuit had been filed? He couldn’t possibly have known. According to Jessica Lawson, a plaintiff named in the ACLU’s complaint, nobody knew about the timing of the lawsuit except for the plaintiffs and their legal representatives.
It seems that Fulnecky is purposely trying to misconstrue the Mayors comments. Of course the Mayor, and everyone else for that matter, knew that a lawsuit was possible, perhaps even likely, but that does not mean that the Mayor actually knew suit had been filed or that he is privy to any otherwise confidential legal information. Why would Fulnecky misconstrue the Mayors words? Because she is upset that Mr. Stephens requested that the ordinance be reviewed and is lashing out like a petulant child.
On her Facebook account, Fulnecky wrote, “This law was passed after literally hundreds of emails, letters, and calls from constituents. To ignore the will of Springfield citizens is to tell them they have no voice in their own government.” She has also accused the Mayor of trying to circumvent the legislative process, calling his request to the Plans and Policies committee “disturbing.”
Firstly, the Mayor requested the review because the law potentially violates two Constitutional amendments. Does Mrs. Fulnecky truly believe that the rule of mobs should override the rule of law? Fulnecky is painting herself as nothing more than a demagogue, pandering to the prejudices of the majority. For someone that makes a show of being a lawyer, Mrs. Fulnecky doesn’t seem to understand that justice is deaf to the mob’s clamor.
Secondly, the Mayor is not circumventing the legislative process by appealing to the committee. No, the Mayor is actually doing his job by protecting citizens from government overreach and protecting the city from potentially costly legal consequences.
Fulnecky seems to be acting directly out of the Justin Burnett political backstabbing playbook: make baseless accusations and advance conspiracy theories. For his patience, moderation, and level-headed leadership throughout this fiasco, I think the Mayor deserves a round of applause from the people of Springfield, not the condemnation that Fulnecky is fomenting.
Thomas Essel is a secular activist and writer. He serves as the Content Manager for The Original Motto Project, is a regular contributor to the Patheos blog Danthropology, and his opinions have appeared in the Springfield News-Leader. Thomas lives in Springfield with his wife, two kids, and numerous cats.
You can contact Thomas at tcessel@gmail.com, or follow him on Twitter @TCEssel
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