Column: Alderman responds to assault allegation | Columnists

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Mike Wendt Alderman City of Moline

In response to the clickbait article that ran about me last Saturday, I feel compelled to send this letter of correction/clarification. This isn’t the first time certain reporters have been surprisingly creative with the facts. The residents of the Quad-Cities deserve better.

Here are the facts. On a walk, my wife and I came across Metronet illegally doing work on 16th Street. I know it was illegal because the night before the Council voted unanimously that since Metronet had been violating cease-and-desist letters and lying to staff that a penalty letter be sent to them.

I immediately called the city administrator, he said he would send an officer and asked me to document what was going on. So to be clear the police were called in by the city administrator. I took a video and walked down the sidewalk where one of the fiber cables was hanging down next to my head. I did touch the cable enough to steady it for a picture, something in retrospect I should not have done. Then a worker from Metronet rushed up the hill towards me as I was facing the other direction. My wife started videotaping because the worker was confronting me. After they threatened to sue me for videoing them I explained it was because they were violating ordinance and I asked for his supervisor.

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It turned out a Moline staff member was at this other location and so I walked over and spoke with him until the officer who was sent by the city administrator arrived. They spoke, then the officer went to talk with the Metronet workers in the truck. At this point my wife and I walked toward home.

That afternoon police reached out for a statement and that is when I learned of some sort of report. I gave the statement above and provided the video my wife took that shows there was no altercation and the photo of the draping cable over the sidewalk. Later I was told that a worker reported that while moving in an elevated bucket truck he dropped his phone when I touched the cable. There was no mention of this phone while I was at the location that morning.

First, I want to thank all my friends and constituents who know me for their outpouring of support who knows this allegation of an assault pure fantasy. Second, thanks to those neighbors that since reading this story indicated they were there too and could confirm there was no assault. Finally, while I agree I should not have touched the cable draping down when I took the picture and I apologize for that; I do not apologize for working for the residents of Moline to ensure our staff knows when ordinances are not being followed. As alderman we should know the code, and if we see something not being followed or enforced it is our duty to report that. Clearly from some statements in the newspaper article there are aldermen that dont feel that it is their responsibility to work on behalf of our residents when ordinances arent being followed or enforced.

Mike Wend represents the Third Ward in Moline.

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