BELLE — Resident and former mayoral candidate Tracey Creswell engaged in an extended and emotional exchange with members of the Belle Board of Aldermen May 12 over disputed meeting minutes she said unfairly portrayed her.

“I just have one question, and that is the amended agenda for when I was made to look like an idiot,” Creswell said at the beginning of the discussion. “You told me that it was going to be voted on last month. It was not. I want to know why.”

Creswell is referring to city meeting minutes from the board’s Feb. 25 meeting, which were approved during the March 10 meeting.

The wording in the minutes read that Creswell “spoke on the nonsense she made up and reported to the newspaper without fact checking her information. She said she can admit when she is wrong and she is wrong. Additionally, she made an apology to Charro stating she knew she was rude to her.”

What Creswell actually said was, “I just want to take a minute and say I am very sorry that I messed up on my paperwork. And when I make a mistake, I own up to it. Charro, I owe you an apology, and I’m not too proud to admit when I’m wrong, and I just want to let everybody know that I am very sorry it was my mistake. I own up to it. I’m going to pay the fine this week, and I wanted to apologize. I never accused anybody. I made a general comment and it was taken the way that I wanted it to be taken. But I did not accuse anybody, and I know I was rude to you, and I apologize, and that’s all I wanted to say.”

A discussion then followed regarding previous conversations about the disputed minutes and whether the issue should continue to be pursued.

“I was told to leave it alone,” Mayor James (Pudd) Mitchell said.

“By who?” Creswell asked.

“By our lawyer,” Mitchell said.

“Your lawyer said that he wanted it changed, according to what I heard,” Creswell replied.

City Attorney James Klahr of Lauber Municipal Law was asked to addressed the issue, referencing a previous meeting where Alderman Rebecca Withouse attempted to amend the minutes.

“We had the board meeting in March,” Klahr said. “A motion was made. Alderwoman Withouse made the motion to amend the minutes. There was not a second on that motion.”

Klahr continued, saying the board had effectively made its decision when the motion failed to move forward.

“At this point, my position, which I think I’ve shared with the mayor and board, the board has spoken by its decision not to take up a motion,” Klahr said.

Creswell argued she had been told the issue would be corrected before Withouse’s motion was even brought forward.

“He (Mitchell) told me he was going to have that amended,” Creswell said. “It was before Rebecca even told me that she had made a motion.”

Creswell then criticized the way she had been portrayed publicly.

“I was made to look like an idiot for no reason,” Creswell said. “What I said was taken out of context because she (Charro Reasor) was mad at me. I didn’t deserve what I got. You told me you were going to fix it.”

She continued by questioning why residents should come before the city if complaints were not addressed.

“This is exactly what I was talking about. Before, we could come to the city for all the problems we wanted,” Creswell said. “But if you guys don’t want to handle it, why do the citizens even want to bother coming to the city, especially when they’re made to look like an idiot for no reason?”

The discussion then shifted to comments about newspaper coverage in The Maries County Advocate and statements allegedly attributed to Creswell.

“How do you think she felt with what was printed in the paper,” Mitchell asked.

“I have nothing to do with that,” Creswell responded.

“That’s what was said,” Mitchell replied.

“Not by me,” Creswell said.

Creswell also argued she had already acknowledged her own mistake publicly.

“I took and ate my mistake,” Creswell said. “That was written after I took and ate my mistake. It was documented that I ate my mistake.”

Creswell continued by alleging that the minutes were a retaliation.

“The retaliation was made after I apologized to the entire council,” Creswell said. “I was made to look like an idiot, and that was part of why I didn’t get any votes during the election, because you told me you were going to have it taken care of, and it was not.”

She also demanded an apology from the board.

“And I deserve some kind of an apology from the entire council, not just you, from the entire council, and especially from Charro, because I did not say what she said,” Creswell said.

Mitchell questioned whether anyone had directly called Creswell an idiot.

“I don’t think she called you an idiot,” Mitchell said. “I don’t think anybody did.”

“You made me look like an idiot,” Creswell said. “Everything I said was of nuisance. No, I didn’t say it. It was other people that said it, but it was put on my shoulders.”

Creswell referenced comments allegedly made by Klahr regarding the handling of the minutes, and told the mayor he owed her an apology for lying to her.

“Your attorney made the comment that it shouldn’t have been written up the way that it was,” Creswell said. “That’s when you said you were going to have it taken care of. That’s when Rebecca stepped in. And I appreciate Rebecca stepping up for me, but the council owes me an apology, and so do you, Mr. Mayor, for lying to me. All I want is an apology and this will go away.”

“I apologize,” Mitchell said. “I did say we would rebuttal it, but then the council didn’t vote to rebuttal it.”

Creswell responded by criticizing the board for refusing to acknowledge mistakes.

“That’s because none of you want to admit your mistakes,” Creswell said. “I admitted mine. But every one of you is cowards, I’m sorry, except Rebecca, every one of you, because if you weren’t, you would make this right for me.”

“I just told you I was sorry that it didn’t get handled,” Mitchell said.

“You’re the only one,” Creswell said.

“I’m sorry that it didn’t get handled,” Withouse said.

“I didn’t expect you to (apologize),” Creswell told Withouse.

“It doesn’t matter, because I sit on this council, and I’m a part of it, and I speak for the citizens,” Withouse said. “I can offer my apology, too.”

Withouse then addressed Creswell directly and referenced the board’s code of conduct.

“We are supposed to act, per the code of conduct, with the spirit of cooperation,” Withouse continued. “Wouldn’t that make me an equal part of this board and have just as much responsibility to apologize?”

Withouse also acknowledged she could have pursued the matter more aggressively.

“I could have pushed the issue more. I did not,” Withouse said. “So I apologize that I didn’t push it enough to your satisfaction.”

Creswell responded by saying Withouse had already done more than necessary.

“You pushed it more than you needed to. It should have been the end,” Creswell said. “The mayor even said that it was said incorrectly when he offered to have it amended. It was these three right here (Alderman Steve Vogt, Alderman Seth Kline and Struemph) that voted not to have it amended, because I know you voted to have it amended.”

At the end of the discussion, Creswell again criticized members of the board and mentioned litigation before leaving the meeting.

“The one that I expect to apologize the most is just sitting there like a bump on a log over there,” Creswell said. “I’m going to my attorney and you will be named in the lawsuit, I guarantee it.”