Springfield Mayor Responds to Criticism over Attendance of NAACP Meeting
BY JEFF SKINNER
SPRINGFIELD - On Tuesday, December 30, members of the Springfield City Commissioners met for their regular session, as one of the last meeting for some members of the commission, and fielded several questions from the public, including the appropriateness of having elected representatives attend meetings designed to help future illegal immigrants navigate ICE.
During the public comment section, several members of the public lobbed questions to the commissioners on their plans relating to the homeless issue in Springfield. Many residents spoke on both the unsightly issue of the compiled garbage and other items that surround homeless encampments, while others spoke about safety concerns with individuals sleeping outside in frigid temperatures. Recently a warming center had been shut down in Springfield due to ‘safety concerns’ leading to much public outcry.
One member of the public questioned the commissioners and specifically Mayor Rob Rue, on the priorities of the commission as Rue spent time at a recent NAACP meeting designed to help Haitian migrants facing potential deportation in February, navigate the immigration and deportation system that may be looming. The sentiments among the public commentators was that, despite exorbitant salaries, the city government has provided no real solutions to the homeless issue, with one even calling for someone to replace the Director of Community Development, Logan Cobbs.
Rue responded by stating his attendance was because he cared about ‘humans’ and ‘human issues.’
“The fact that I attended the NAACP meeting that was talking about immigration is something I would go to because I care about the human being that it's affecting, just the human being just like I care about the homeless individuals that are being affected that are cold right now and that need shelter,” Rue said. “Those are things that have taken more of my time and concern over the last weeks and months than in the past because they're issues that are what we need to address and what takes more time. But there are so many concerns and issues in the governance of a community that everything needs attention. So to be judged to go to a meeting because we're discussing human being issues, you're going to find me at every one of those meetings that I can attend. So I care about the human being. I care about the fair treatment of human beings, whether they're homeless individuals, displaced individuals, people that are here that were brought here under one policy that changed to another. They're going to get my care and concern as a leader in the community. And so you'll find me in those conversations. That's where I will be. And so uh we are addressing homelessness. We are working on, you know, the plan, that has been such an ambiguous term over the last 2, 3, 4 years.”
Commissioner Krystal Brown also responded to the comment, stating she believed much of the pushback to Rue’s attendance of the meeting may be because it was hosted by the NAACP, a direct comment on her specific preoccupation with race.
“I think Rob maybe the problem with the meeting that you went to may have been that it was at an NAACP meeting, you know, that's probably the most problematic part of that,” Brown said.
Brown also added she was ‘super excited’ to be stepping down to no longer have to deal with public criticism of her job performance, leading to much snickering among the commissioners. Brown continued to punctuate the meeting with her own unique commentary, including implying that federal grant cutbacks that the city attributes to the homeless issue was 'what you all voted for.' Brown's comments did not include the overwhelming issues of federal fraud that have been repeatedly coming to light, nor the current county lawsuit with Sheltered Inc. for misappropriation of funds, which most would argue had more to do with grant cancellations than specific political candidates. As an example, over the past year the Department of Labor froze the Job Corps program over data showing the program costs exploding without any effective yield.
Much to the counter of Brown’s racial preoccupation, a majority of the frustration surrounding the growing homeless issue in Springfield may come from the fact that many individuals have been displaced due to the mass influx of Haitians in the city. According to some sources that have worked within the homeless shelter programs, a growing number of individuals attending warming shelters have lost rental units to Haitian migrants who receive government vouchers as it is more profitable for landlords to take in multiple migrants per unit. While it is not an overwhelming number, according to some, the amount has increased in recent years to anywhere from 5-10 percent of warming center attendees last year. These individuals have shifted to residing in vehicles as they are no longer able to compete with federally funded Haitian migrants. From the standpoint of members of the public, the two issues may be mutually exclusive.
Still other members of the public, including one young man who served in the military and returns to Springfield only to visit family, chastised the commissioners on decades of inaction that led to him ultimately trying to find anyway to leave a city where prostitution, homelessness and crime has only been buried by newer, more glaring federal issues.
“Today, I wanted to talk to you about my childhood in Springfield, Ohio. I have lived in Springfield for 18 years until I finally escaped through the military, and I'm happy I left. My concerns are for my little sister and her upbringing. When I was her age, I can't remember a good time living here. I remember the crime around my home. My first issue is a site no child should have to see. When I was 11, I remember seeing a prostitution right outside my home. At the time, seeing such a disgusting site didn't trigger me, but it did make me feel ashamed that this is my hometown. I can never bring my friends to my house without feeling embarrassed or ashamed by my environment. It's terrible that the people of Springfield express their issues to you and you ignore them. It's sad you don't desire change for the betterment of a community. However, there is another issue I have a bigger issue with. This one really gets to me, especially when nothing was done by the Springfield Police Department. I was 15 years old when I was outside of a Home Depot on Beal and I was almost abducted. I was smart. Didn't leave my father's car. But I think, what if that was another child or even my 8-year-old sister? I made a police report and nothing was done. And I find that truly disgusting and anguishing. That nothing was done about this pedophile who is still on the loose today, still causing harm to our community and our children. My last issue is one problem that the city should have fixed decades ago. Now I'm 20. That is two decades. What the city has failed to do for two decades is take care of the homeless issue. I see them all over the city. I see them dealing drugs, littering, and making our city unsafe. How can you expect people to want to travel here when your streets are flooded with beggars and drug addicts? For my conclusion, I'll just say this. I don't come back for this depressing scenery. I come back to see my family. If it weren't for them, I would never come back to this sad, disgusting, depressing place you call a city.”
In response, Mayor Rue stated he believed the city actually is changing and that part of the issue currently is that things are changing ‘too quickly’ for some. Rue did not quantify these changes specifically leaving many to wonder if he was referring to potential demographic shifts from the Haitian influx, which has brought its own unique changes, or the potential for new data centers which could fundamentally change the city's energy and water supply.
The commissioners concluded their meeting by giving parting words to the three members who will not be returning in 2026, including Rue, who commended Brown for her passion and dedication and Brown, who lamented briefly on how the position was not the type of name promoting position she had hoped it would be.
