Mayor Of Kinloch Gets Cop-Blocked: Why Was Betty McCray Locked Out Of City Hall?
The newly-elected mayor of Kinloch may already be on her way out of office. According to FOX 2, Betty McCray arrived at Kinloch for her first day as mayor and was met by law enforcement officials.
They informed her that she was barred from Kinloch’s City Hall. Not only that, but she found herself suspended due to accusations of voter fraud. Although initial reports say McCray was impeached, an attorney for the town of Kinloch said he “misspoke” and that she was in fact suspended. He also said that McCray was served with impeachment papers on Thursday. However, Betty says she never received them.
The tiny town boasts a population of around 300. Nearly a third of the town’s residents are thought to have taken part in the April 7 election. Although 64-year-old McCray won with 76 percent of the vote, this comfortable majority only required 63 votes.
“I won. The people spoke. I was sworn in by the St. Louis County. Today I take office. I want [the old administration] out, I want the keys.”
The Board of Alderman refused to allow the city clerk to swear McCray in; a St. Louis County circuit court clerk did so on Tuesday. The jilted mayor told the Huffington Post that officials “continued business as usual,” intent on ignoring her as an elected official.
On top of this blatant disrespect, the mayor finds herself battling accusations that her win came by way of fraudulent means. St. Louis Today reports that allegedly nearly half of the people said to have voted Betty McCray into office were illegally registered to vote.
McCray countered that the two dozen names belonged to Kinloch citizens who happen to live in apartments that are “in really bad shape”.
“We citizens of Kinloch have to live in horrible conditions. There is one apartment complex that hasn’t had trash pickup in a year and a half.”
The once thriving location is today considered a cesspool of political corruption. A mayor was jailed in 2011 for spending tens of thousands of the city’s money on personal expenses. A judge was also recently disciplined for “misconduct”; he used client funds to pay his bills.
The Kinloch administration is also notorious for its lack of transparency. A county judge ordered the town to stop going out of its way to limit public access to municipal court procedures. But old habits die hard. Even though James Robinson insists that Betty McCray was served with impeachment papers, he declined to make copies available for the press or to identify which members of the Board of Alderman voted to impeach McCray.
Newly Elected Mayor Locked Out Of City Hall… http://t.co/XJd6WZMzrO via @huffpostpol | https://t.co/H76Mto1toS pic.twitter.com/b3riIpY6Un
— AWIP Series (@AWIPSeries) April 25, 2015
The embattled Kinloch mayor admits that she’s not exactly surprised by her treatment. After all, she was once a member of the Board of Alderman prior to resigning two years ago. She left her post because she “knew it was going to be horrible.” She believes the former mayor appointed a “crooked” administration — the same one attempting to block her from taking control.
Betty McCray has hired a lawyer and moved to file an injunction against the city of Kinloch. For now, City Hall remains inaccessible to all and is allegedly guarded by a police officer.
[Image Credit: Fox 2/debra waldron]
