Gunning for council ..

A few tidbits to pass along ...

First, we're still waiting to see what charges Marco Sommerville will face when he returns from his trip to New Orleans. Sommerville had a loaded .38 with him as he went through security at CAK Monday night. The gun was confiscated and Sommerville was permitted to keep going on his trip.

Second, Marco isn't in the Big Easy all by himself. He's traveling with fellow council members Renee Greene, John Otterman, John Conti, Jim Shealey, and Tina Merlitti. I think it's safe to assume that Shealey left his gun at home. My records check shows that like Sommerville, Shealey also has a valid Concealed Carry License. In fact, I found four other local public officials, including judges, who also have valid licenses .. so it's not uncommon.

Third, Deputy Mayor Dave Lieberth tells me that Sommerville called Mayor Plusquellic from New Orleans Monday night to let him know about the incident .. so the Mayor already knew when Mark Williamson touched based with him Tuesday afternoon (see my blog post below). For whatever reason, the info hadn't trickled down to the Communications Office before we media folks started hitting speed dial.


My gut feeling is that while Marco will allow his attorney to speak on his behalf, he's bound to at least make some reference to the incident the next time he addresses a council meeting. Even if it's to say "I just want to thank my fellow members of council for their continued support during this time." Probably something like that would be fitting of Marco's character.