Forest Heights suspends mayor

Thursday, Sept. 28, 2006

Myles Spires remains on suspension as mayor of Forest Heights and is still not allowed to enter the municipal building, a judge ruled.

On Monday, Judge C. Philip Nichols upheld the Sept. 7 suspension of Spires by the Forest Heights Town Council. Spires was suspended during a closed session amid allegations he misused and mishandled funds from the town.

Wilmer Ticer, town attorney for Forest Heights, filed a motion on behalf of the town to dissolve Spire’s temporary restraining order. According to Ticer, after the four-hour hearing on Monday, the judge found that Spires was still suspended and is banned from coming to the municipal building.

Ticer said the allegations against Spires are personnel matters. Spires called the situation ‘‘divisive.” Court documents did not list specific instances of Spires’ behavior and council members would not comment.

Spires said the town is confused.

‘‘Forest Heights has good people and for the most part they will be the best and try to do the best and that’s what we’ll try to give them,” he said.

On Wednesday after Spires filed the temporary restraining order, residents met at the Forest Heights Town Hall for their monthly meeting and could not enter the building. Both Stoner and Councilwoman Andrea McCutcheon tried to open the front door with their key and could not. The meeting had to be conducted on the steps of the town hall.

‘‘We’re trying to get bad people put of office,” Stoner said last Wednesday. ‘‘We’re doing everything we can but we have to do it legally.”

McCutcheon reassured the residents that she and Stoner were there for the townspeople. Residents have not been happy about the way Spires had been running the town since he took office in February. John Kennedy, member of the Forest Heights Freedom Fighters, a group started by residents who said their rights have been taken away by the mayor, said he does not have anything good to say about the mayor ‘‘whatsoever.” He said Spires did not have the town’s best interest in mind.

Judy Bienvenu said there have been a lot of changes in the town since Spires has been in office She said he’s trying to do good ‘‘but there are a lot of questions coming up.”

Spires said he could not speak further about the pending court cases because the judge has issued a gag order.

‘‘We’ve made so much progress in this town. I believe if people were more educated in the process this type of thing and this type of banter could be avoided,” Spires said.

E-mail Tia Carol Jones at tjones@gazette.net.