Red Bud alderman addressed rest of council about their behavior

The behavior of the city council over the past few months was called out by a Red Bud alderman at the council’s June 1 meeting.

Getting up from his normal council spot, Alderman Clem Esker opted to instead address the rest of the council from the public podium. He said that over the past few months having not been able to fully participate in the meetings due to technical difficulties with his Zoom connection, he felt like both an alderman and citizen. 

He noted that you don’t realize how much you miss by not being at the meetings (in person), and he had things he wanted to say but wasn’t able to.

Esker went on to point out his long career as a public servant, having served on the school board, fire department and zoning board in addition to serving previously as mayor and county commissioner. “Sometimes everybody needs to look at what we have here.”

He told his fellow aldermen that they are there to set policy and need to learn to respect the people they have hired to work for the city and that those people do a good job.

For more from the Red Bud City Council, please see this week’s print edition.