A Louisiana city council meeting ended in chaos when its mayor got into a shouting match with residents and allegedly knocked the phone out of the hands of a woman recording the scene.
Mayor Kesia Lemoine of Elton, a town of more than 1,000 people in Louisiana’s Jefferson Davis Parish, was charged with battery for Monday’s explosion, KPLC reported.
Video shows Lemoine screaming and being held back by several people attending the meeting as he leaves the room.
He then turned his attention to the woman who was recording, and tried to pry the phone from her hand, prompting the woman to scream, “Get your hands off me!”
The mayor was detained by another person, and taken away as a police officer also entered, according to the clip.
Lemoine defended his actions to local outlet KLFY, saying someone threatened his family. The alleged threat was not caught on video.
After the town meeting was adjourned, an argument involving Mayor Elton Kesia Lemoine continued into the hallway. through KPLC TV
“As a mom, I’m a protector and that really puts me out of character,” Lemoine said. “I apologize for my actions because I am the mayor and they hold me to a different standard. But I am also human and I have feelings.”
Tensions rose during the meeting when the topic of grants came up and someone asked about a grant writer who was believed to have been fired.
#WATCH: The moment Louisiana Mayor Kesia Lemoine clashed with another woman during a council meeting – but blamed her behavior as a mother
Video shows Mayor Elton Kesia Lemoine talking to an unidentified woman who later got into an argument with him in a meeting room.
Recording… pic.twitter.com/7EzY2zES5C
— L unlimited (@unlimited_ls) December 2, 2023
“We’re talking about the budget, you’re going with something else,” snapped Lemoine, continuing to look even more irritated. “We follow the budget. You are disorganized. You say something else, we will take you out.”
A city council meeting in Elton, Louisiana turned chaotic after a budget discussion and other contentious topics were brought up. through KPLC TV
The conversation then turned to the topic of the mayor’s salary and accusations that secret meetings had been held, according to KPLC.
After the meeting was adjourned, the argument continued leading to a brawl in the hallway.
The controversy with the mayor began earlier this year, when a petition to remove Lemoine from office was introduced after allegations of voter fraud. After Monday’s incident, a second recall petition was sent to the office of Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards, according to reports.
The controversy with Mayor Kesia Lemoine began earlier this year with allegations of voter fraud. through KPLC TV
In June, Lemoine’s son was charged with assaulting an alleged whistleblower about voting irregularities. He was given a suspended sentence for the attack, which took place at Elton’s car wash.
Lemoine was elected last year after serving eight years on the city council and was mayor pro tempore for the year before the election.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
