Indicted City Councilmen Join List of Officials Under Fire

What do a former city tax collector, police chief, two men who work at the civic center and a pair of city councilmen have in common?

Well...a few things.

All have served as City of Monroe officials in their fields and each of them has been at the center of an ethical or criminal investigation.
Jim Jenkins said, "This has been going on a long time in Monroe."

Even though the accused are  innocent until proven guilty, some say the charges alone rattle their faith in city leaders.

Jim Jenkins said, "I would like to see us have a well managed city. I see in the news we have a surplus and that's good, but  why do these people continue to get indicted over various administrations. Why do we see people getting arrested for fraud or at least indicted."

Last year, city tax director Patrick Onyemechara was indicted on 30 counts of felony theft and racketeering. Months later, the city launched a criminal investigation into the director and events coordinator for the civic center.

Pat Dayton and Damon Gordon were fired, but no criminal charges were ever filed. In February, the city launched an ethics investigation and suspended police chief Ron Schleuter with pay.

He's not accused of breaking the law--but he's admitted to secretly recording conversations with city leaders and that has violated some peoples trust. And Thursday morning, these two senior city councilmen Robert "Red" Stevens and Arthur Gilmore were indicted on federal charges of racketeering and extortion.     
Mayor Jamie Mayo says he hopes these  incidents won't distract people from the good things that are happening in the city.  

Mayor Jamie Mayo said, "Of course its sad day for the city. Its saddened all of us, and its a shock. but we're going to try to move forward in a positive way."