At the Committee of the Whole meeting on Tuesday evening, Council Members discussed the residency qualification of Aaron Bailey from District-7 of Manitowoc.
A formal complaint has been filed with the City stating that Bailey was no longer a resident of District-7. Bailey has contended that he has a right to know who filed a complaint or who the accuser is, but Alderperson Scott McMeans pointed out that the accuser’s name had been revealed in past closed sessions. He said that the name of his accuser was stated “three times in closed session, and Alderman Bailey was there. People forget that Alderman Bailey has been in every closed session, has been privy to every single matter, including the preliminary report.”
At a prior closed meeting of the Committee of the Whole, funding for an investigation from an outside agency was approved. The Independent investigator, Charles Hess, delivered information from one of the witnesses last night, saying that the witness told him “Alderman Bailey does not live at South 22nd Street. He lives at the apartment on North 8th Street.”
He claimed that she observes him coming and going from that residence and visiting his family. It was also revealed at the Tuesday Committee of the Whole meeting that information is still being gathered as to the legal residency of Aaron Bailey.
We spoke with Alderman Bailey about the issue, and he said, “I want resolution, I want peace, and I want to continue serving our community.”
Bailey has gone on record both online and with SeehaferNews.com calling this investigation racist, as did the Crusaders of Justicia, due to the fact that he is the first and to date only black person to serve on the Common Council. We asked the Alderman why he believes that race is a driving factor, to which he said, “They want me to look a certain way because that’s not the way I present myself. As you go further on…all these dots that can be connected, it will highlight the …racist motive.”
Bailey said that his lawyer is advising him to hold some details close to the chest, and Bailey said that he will explain in more detail once the investigation is complete.
At the end of discussion on Tuesday evening, Alderperson Jeremiah Novak made a motion to have all materials placed on file for later review. Council voted unanimously to approve the motion. All testimony and records from closed session will be put into public record after redactions of personal information.
