Ladysmith mayor quits amid public criticism
10:54 PM 12/11/02
Susan Lampert Smith Wisconsin State Journal

LADYSMITH - The mayor of tornado-ravaged Ladysmith resigned Tuesday, citing public criticism of his recovery efforts.

Marty Reynolds, who served as mayor of the Rusk County city from 1986 to 1992, and again since April, said Wednesday he quit after being confronted by about a dozen angry citizens at a City Council meeting Monday night.

"It was the ugliest night I ever faced," Reynolds said. "For an hour, I just sat there and took it."

Reynolds said people were angered by remarks he made in a Thanksgiving Day article in the Wisconsin State Journal that detailed the city's recovery from the Sept. 2 tornado.

In the article, Reynolds said the process of giving out the nearly $400,000 donated to tornado victims was dividing Ladysmith. He suggested giving the money to towns in Ohio where people died in tornadoes in early November.

He also made the tongue-in-cheek comment: "By the time we get done doling out the money, everyone will be mad at everyone else. I think we should turn it all into $1 bills, put it in an airplane and dump it out over Ladysmith."

Reynolds said he was told to apologize and scolded because the article detailed his personal losses - which included his home in a restored library, several vehicles and three commercial properties.

Reynolds, who also served in the state Assembly, was in Madison Wednesday to clear out his office in the state Capitol. He left that position after 12 years to run for lieutenant governor on the Libertarian party ticket.

"I think it's time for me to move on," he said.

An article in Wednesday's Ladysmith News described the meeting as "a double-barrel assault" on Reynolds. Editor John Terrill wrote that the mayor was criticized for his work on a downtown lot.

Reynolds recently purchased the lot, which was filled with the rubble of a demolished building, and buried some of the debris and foundation walls at the site. But angry residents said city officials ordered them to remove foundation walls of their demolished buildings. Reynolds said he followed the law.

"I'd like to apologize to all of the residents of the community who feel I've embarrassed them through my activities and public statements following the Labor Day tornado," he said in a statement.