Suspended Ellisville Mayor Says Impeachment Was "Orchestrated"

Suspended Ellisville Mayor Adam Paul said what has surfaced in several e-mails and depositions over the past few days is that former mayor and current council member Matt Pirrello and Ellisville city attorney Paul Martin "essentially have orchestrated" his impeachment for quite some time.

"For several months now, it seems they have been drawing up an impeachment roadmap on how the process, timeline and outcome were all going to unfold," Paul told Patch Wednesday, not long after his attorney,

Read related article from 11:11 a.m.:  Attorney for Ellisville Mayor Says Emails Undermine Impeachment Case

Paul's impeachment hearing is currently scheduled for April 1, although no location yet has been released.

Meanwhile, Paul filed a lawsuit today saying his enemies in the city are involved in a smear campaign against him. The suit asks for the court to block the impeachment hearing the mayor faces on Monday before the Ellisville city council, according to a report in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The newspaper said a hearing on Paul's lawsuit is set for 3 p.m. Thursday in Clayton.

The suspended mayor told Patch city attorney Paul Martin stated during a recent deposition that at the request of council member Pirrello, Martin draft the complaint that eventually was signed and filed by resident Katie James, under oath, with the city clerk to get Paul impeached.

"Our city attorney, who is supposed to serve at the pleasure of the council, wrote a resident complaint to remove the person he was supposed to be advising," Paul tells Patch. "This is disgusting and just plain wrong."

Paul said James is a former council member who was also appointed by then-mayor Pirrello to the Sansone/Wal-Mart TIF Commission in March 2012. She voted in favor of the TIF after listening to almost two dozen residents speaking against the project and one person speaking in favor of it, he said.

James was one of three residents who were supposed to represent the Ellisville citizens on the TIF Commission, he said. Paul also said him stating 'this doesn’t pass the smell test,' is what caused her inclination to oppose him.  

"Instead of city attorney Paul Martin advising the Mayor, Martin said during his deposition that for several months he had taken potential charter violation ‘notes’ that he kept in a document on his computer. Oddly enough, much of the content of this document was placed in the resolution to remove me today," said Paul. 

Martin also said in the deposition that Pirrello requested and received his ‘notes’ several months ago, Paul said.

"Martin provided Pirrello with a draft letter of these various alleged charges to remove me back in December. This letter was never filed," said Paul.

In other e-mails, Martin and Pirrello had electronic conversations regarding the five residents who Pirrello sued for the recall effort, said Paul. "They were discussing the possibility of adding another allegation to remove me from office, because I gave $500 of my own money to help with our residents' legal bills! Oh the irony."

Paul said he and his attorney now have copies of e-mails with Pirrello and Martin regarding who they will hire as the prosecuting attorney and hearing officer to remove him from office before the James complaint was even filed.

"I have never been so upset and disgusted in my life. There is so much more that will be addressed, and I look forward to truth being revealed regarding what has transpired in our great city,' said Paul.

"I am confident that we will grow stronger from this in the long run."