Soooo, Portage Mayor James Snyder's defense attorneys are alleging that one of the FBI agents involved in the investigation has been disciplined due to his reportedly having screamed at a witness in a previous case. Snyder's defense attorneys claim that this alleged conduct "would speak to the agent's credibility". Note the term "ALLEGED".
Well, if Sndyer's defense attorneys claim that a person's conduct speaks to the person's credibility, then let's talk about Snyder's major blowup against Portage Councilman Pat Clems during a city hall meeting in June of 2017.
Do Snyder and his defense team believe that this clash, which resulted in Snyder calling Clems names and even chest thumping Clems in a fit of anger would be forgotten - because it does speak to the credibility of Snyder?
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"Defense attorney Jackie Bennett Jr. said an attorney who once represented a witness in the case alleged that the FBI agent demanded attorney-client privileged material and even screamed at the attorney for not providing the records. Bennett said the attorney also alleged that the agent had been disciplined and transferred to another office because of his reported conduct.
“We don’t know if it’s true,” Bennett said. “It’s entirely possible it’s utterly false.”
Bennett said the defense sought the personnel records to explore the allegations made against the agent.
“This is a serious allegation,” Bennett said. He said what could be revealed in the personnel file would speak to the agent’s credibility."
Judge blocks Portage Mayor Snyder's attempt to get FBI records [Chicago Tribune. 01142019]
EDITORIAL: Government embarrassment looms in Portage
The Times Editorial Board
Jun 9, 2017
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/opinion/editorial/editorial-government-embarrassment-looms-in-portage/article_1fcbe7f1-a78f-506f-a2fb-732944a80294.html
It would seem Portage municipal government has more than a dark cloud of felony criminal indictment hanging over the mayor's office.
It also appears to have a problem with the tenets of civility.
Some Portage officials owe their constituents an apology for punctuating a contentious City Council meeting Tuesday with reports of aggressive chest-bumping and name calling.
It's the sort of behavior we wouldn't expect to be tolerated by rival students in a schoolyard, let alone amid important seats of local government.
Near the end of the meeting, council members began to talk about a continuing issue of collective bargaining and an proposed salary ordinance for nonunion city employees.
A contentious debate ultimately culminated into reports of Mayor James Snyder following Councilman Pat Clem, D-2nd, outside of City Hall, with the mayor calling Clem a "coward" or "fat coward."
Clem claims Snyder continually bumped him, called him names and made accusations.
Snyder said Clem "chest bumped" him and used foul language. Snyder also admits to calling Clem a coward several times.
It escalated to the point of police officers having to separate the pair of public officials twice.
This behavior is another unacceptable and embarrassing distraction from Portage public business.
Snyder already is under pending federal felony indictment, charged with bribery in an alleged towing contract scheme.
We've long argued Snyder should have resigned his mayor post after he was criminally indicted last fall. Though he's innocent unless proven guilty of the charges, a federal felony indictment casts too great a distracting shadow over the city's top government office.
Now Snyder is at the center of another local government embarrassment.
Snyder acknowledged he let his emotions get the better of him while standing up for Portage city employees.
In the end, he succeeded in distracting from his goal by contributing to a spectacle of bad behavior.
The people of Portage deserve better.
Portage council meeting ends in 'chaotic mess'
NWI Times
June 07, 2017
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/portage-council-meeting-ends-in-chaotic-mess/article_147c7439-c87d-5db9-8e91-ce6d6f3fd0e3.html
PORTAGE — City officials said Wednesday they will move forward following a City Council meeting the previous night that ended in an abrupt adjournment and a confrontation between the mayor and a council member.
"It was a chaotic mess and unprofessional on everyone's side," City Council President Mark Oprisko, D-at large, said Wednesday. "I felt bad that it went on."
Near the end of the meeting, council members began to talk about the continuing, and sometime contentious, issue of collective bargaining and a proposed salary ordinance for nonunion employees.
Council member Sue Lynch, D-at large, said she was upset the salary ordinance had been taken off the agenda. She also said she was upset that contracts had not been reached with three employee bargaining groups, blaming the city's negotiating team.
Lynch's comments were followed by others, including comments from council member Liz Modesto, D-1st District, who said Mayor James Snyder had threatened earlier in the evening that if the council did not approve the salary ordinance, he would not approve union contracts.
Snyder had left the meeting early to attend his son's birthday party, but was contacted by staff about the discussion and returned to the meeting.
"I thought it was very deceitful and cowardly they brought it up knowing I wasn't there and that the staff wouldn't be able to answer the questions. When I heard about it, I went to the meeting," he said.
Clerk-Treasurer Chris Stidham said when Snyder returned, he attempted to clear the front row of audience seats to have his department chairs take the seats, but shouting continued between the council and mayor. Stidham said Snyder was attempting to take the gavel from Oprisko when the council quickly voted to adjourn the meeting.
Councilman Pat Clem,D-2nd District, said as he started walking away from the meeting hall, Snyder confronted him, calling him a "coward" and a "fat coward."
The confrontation continued as the two walked down the stairs into the lobby of the building at the same time people were leaving a concert.
Clem said Snyder continually bumped him, called him names and made accusations. Snyder said Clem "chest bumped" him and used foul language. He denied touching Clem. Snyder admitted to using the word "coward" several times.
The two were separated twice by police officers who were at the meeting.
Clem said Snyder also confronted him in the parking lot before leaving.
Snyder said he let his emotions get the better of him and, in hindsight, probably shouldn't have returned to the meeting.
"I was not being emotional for me. It is important that I defend the hard-working people that hold this community together," said Snyder, adding he reached out to Clem on Wednesday.
"Me and Pat will figure it out," he said.
"I was embarrassed that the public witnessed what occurred last night, from both sides," said council member Collin Czilli, D-5th District.
Both he and council member John Cannon, R-4th District, voted against adjourning the meeting Tuesday, saying they wanted to hear Snyder out.
"Collin and I will sit down with the mayor and try to work out an arrangement," Cannon said about moving forward.
Oprisko said he hopes the issue of contract negotiations and the salary ordinance will be resolved in the next couple of weeks and believes the council can work together.
"We will get through it. It was a bad night. We've had a lot more good nights," Snyder said.
Salary ordinance discussion gets heated in Portage
Post-Tribune
June 07, 2017
A relatively routine Portage Common Council meeting Tuesday night collapsed into name-calling, finger-pointing, a sudden adjournment, accusations of grandstanding and intervention by police.
After hosting officials from U.S. Steel, who appeared before the council to discuss the April 11 toxic spill from their Midwest plant, the council turned to discussion of a salary ordinance for city workers, an issue that was a late addition to the meeting agenda.
Some council members complained about what they apparently viewed as Mayor James Snyder's mishandling of employee salaries during the discussion.
Snyder, excused himself from the meeting before the steel plant officials began speaking to attend a family function, but returned after receiving text message updates from staffers on the council's heated discussion of the salary ordinance.
As he re-entered the meeting hall, Snyder asked for the front row of audience chairs and ordered department heads attending the meeting to fill those seats. Several council members erupted with charges Snyder was "grandstanding" and trying to take over the council meeting, and they successfully called for a voice vote to adjourn the meeting.
Snyder called for the council to remain as several council members, including Liz Modesto, D-1st, and Patrick Clem, D-2nd, continued to accuse Snyder of grandstanding as they left the room. Snyder then called Clem a "coward."
"The situation is it just escalated," Snyder said Wednesday. "I probably shouldn't have gone back to the meeting, but this is not about me and my reputation. Its about the hard-working people of Portage who work every day and about them getting the compensation they deserve, and I'm gonna be passionate about it."
Snyder continued to discuss the ordinance with union officials and council members as they spilled into the hallway and down the stairs at Woodland Park's Sycamore Hall.
Clem, who physically towers over the mayor, and Snyder continued their debate as the group left the building, with Clem telling Snyder to meet "in my neighborhood" as Snyder ridiculed Clem for his weight and body size.
Once outside, the argument continued and the two elected officials got face-to-face. Snyder accused Clem of "chest-bumping" him.
Moments later, a Portage Police officer helped defuse the situation by separating the men.
"I was attacked by the City of Portage mayor calling me names, in public, saying that I'm nothing but a big, fat coward, and he repeatedly calling me coward," Clem said. "I don't wanna be the bad guy, but I think (Snyder) owes everyone in that room and our city's constituents an apology."
Even after they were separated, the dispute continued, Clem and Snyder said. Snyder approached Clem and two other council members in the parking lot, sparking another intervention by police officers.
"You had two men who were passionate about their issues who had a dispute," Snyder said. "Yes, it reflects poorly on the city, but we've had a few of those bad nights. I wish it hadn't happened, but the city's going to be all right, and we'll get through this."
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