The arrogance that is Mayor Trousil

Calling gun owners "gun nuts' seems a mild comment if you look at the history of West Burlington, IA mayor Hans Trousil.

Mayor Trousil was elected in 1985 to serve on the West Burlington City Council through 1989. In 1992 he again was elected to serve as a Council Member until his election as Mayor in 1994. He has served as Mayor since 1994.

West Burlington council

(Looking for council minutes, there are none since March - odd, but seems typical given the history of Hans Trousil. See what Spike posts at Burlington Derailed - Hans Trousil. I found the T-shirt there. Another good source is Falcon at West Burlington City -Trousil)

For years there have been sewer and drainage complaints to the city, but with no results. It would wise to remember Mt. Pleasant's mayor was murdered in 1986 over a sewer issue.

(From a city council meeting in October 2009) The second controversial issue was the flooding problem of the woman on WB Ave. She has had her downstairs flooded numerous times when Ruthella St. overflows, runs across her back neighbor's yard and into her house. She finally, after 26 years, has gotten an answer from the city - Too bad, it's not our fault, it's yours. Of course, Mayor Trousil dared her to take the matter to court.

West Burlington City - No Video

Trousil's violations of state law run from overreaching (West Burlington to search every renter’s home next year.) to direct violation of state code. By appointing a full-time city employee, as in the police chief, to the regional airport authority:

Under Iowa code section 330A.5, " ... an elected official or full-time paid employee of a member municipality is not eligible for appointment to the board."

Bob Brammer, a spokesman for the Iowa Attorney General's office, said the intent of the code is clear.

"If you read that section of the code, it clearly says an employee of a member municipality cannot sit on the board. On its face, it seems they (the city) could be in violation of the code. However, I'm not in the position to make that legal interpretation," Brammer said.

State, W.B. mayor opinions at odds

Seems pretty clear to me, but the good mayor says it's okay because the appointment was "temporary". This article was 5 years after the appointment. That's temporary?

The money quote:

"We all knew the code said what the code says. Now what do you want me to say, that we violated the code? If we did, we did. So what, life goes on. If we violated the code, we violated the code. What else can I say? I mean life is going to go on," Trousil said.

There is no consequence to the city and their officials when in direct violation of state code. Why wouldn't he be defiant and stand up to the NRA and IFC when they pointed out their anti-gun ordinance will be challenged? He's never had his hand slapped.

Spike at Burlington Derailed refers West Burlington as Trousilgrad and with good reason it seems.

He, along with Falcon at West Burlington City have done a fine job of informing the citizens of Des Moines county of the corrupt officials in Southeast Iowa.

Too bad the citizens haven't listened to them and booted these guys out of office.

At the root is that Trousil is afraid of the residents of West Burlington and if a piece of paper (ordinance) let's him sleep at night, he's okay with that. A piece of paper won't stop people breaking the law, ask anyone at the state pen in Fort Madison. Ask Trousil, he seems to know that concept quite well.

Hans Trousil arrogance revisited

Reader no4gman did his own digging into West Burlington and their knowingly violating state law regarding firearms. Or that could be negligently violating. Either way the result is clear:

In a council meeting held 8/12/2002, citizens read the State pre-emption law to the West Burlington City Council, and objected to the new ordinance to ban guns from city buildings.

The Mayor and Council then were INFORMED of the Law, but chose to break the law anyway!

(The matter was referred to the City Attorney, but I could not find a copy of the City Attorney's opinion.)

PUBLIC SAFETY – Discuss Restricting the Carrying of Firearms or Weapons in Public Buildings to Law Enforcement Personnel – Council Member Johnson said he asked for this topic to be placed on the Agenda. He said in the past the Council had required any one attending Council Meetings to be checked for weapons. He would like to see this reinstated.

Al Nielson, Hwy 99, presented a copy of the section of the Iowa Code which he said prohibits political subdivisions of the state from enacting an ordinance regulating the ownership, possession, legal transfer, lawful transportation, registration, or licensing of firearms when the ownership, possession, transfer, or transportation is otherwise lawful under the laws of the state. He said individuals who have permits to carry have already gone through specific procedures. He objects to further restrictions and believes it is prohibited.

The Council agreed to present the question to the City Attorney for an opinion.

http://www.westburlington.org/archive/minutes/2002/081202.htm

This is great that others are keeping an eye on Hans Trousil and his flying circus of a city council. In reply to his comment: "Maybe the voters in the next election will decide the issue," the voters had a chance and through negligence or apathy, they stayed home.

But if you want to understand the arrogance of an out-of-control political hack with a two-bit chip of power on his shoulder, read this from the council session dated 9/23/02:

Consider Ordinance Establishing Firearm/Weapons Free Zones in Municipal Buildings – Mayor Trousil presented an Ordinance prepared by the City Attorney to the Council for consideration. Crowner moved, second by Johnson, to approve the first consideration of an Ordinance establishing Firearm/Weapons free zones in Municipal Buildings in the City of West Burlington. Mayor Trousil asked for comments from the Council. There were none. Visitors in the audience wanted to comment on the Ordinance but the Mayor said the Council had heard all of the arguments before and did not feel they would add anything new. Council Member Hockett argued this was not the policy followed in the past. He said the Council had never denied public comment about any topic they wanted to discuss. Mayor Trousil said we have been through it all before and he doesn’t want to hear it again. He called for the roll call. Ayes: Lees, Crowner, Pilger and Johnson. Nays: Hockett. Motion carried.

http://www.westburlington.org/archive/minutes/2002/092302.htm

When Trousil spews out of his mouth the argument that only out of towners came to the council meeting to voice their concerns, he may have been right. There's no way to tell because he wouldn't allow the citizens to speak.

How dare a common resident of the town one lives in to voice a concern in Herr Trousil's presence.

Thanks to no4gman to bringing this to my attention. Outstanding.

West Burlington Mayor responds to gun groups

Sean McClanahan reports of the Iowa Firearms Coalition's (formerly IowaCarry) efforts to encourage West Burlington Mayor Hans Trousil to understand he's on the wrong side of the law. West Burlington Mayor Trousil responds to NRA and IFC members

The NRA, specifically the leadership has put out only what it wants their members to see and not the whole story, and like sheep being let to slaughter the membership fell for it. - Trousil

That and the mayor's "I'm a gun owner, too" blather just doesn't cut it.

I've been critical of the NRA but Trousil hands out another insult. Regarding the NRA's stated efforts to fight the West Burlington ordinance:

"The NRA has put out a lot of crap again."

W.B. stands by city's gun ban: NRA opposes restriction for municipal buildings, saying it's too broad.

Trousil has a way with words. Maybe not. Compare this statement:

The mayor also took issue with what he described as his comments about "nut jobs" being taken out of context.

"I did not say that all gun owners are nut jobs," Trousil said. "I said there's a lot of nut jobs out there that own guns that wish to do harm to law-abiding citizens and elected officials."

"Not all gun owners are nut jobs," he reiterated.

With his previous words printed by the Des Moines Register:

"That's too bad," West Burlington Mayor Hans Trousil said about opposition to his city's ban from the National Rifle Association. "They need to sit in our chairs and worry about these nut jobs that go around with guns."

Which quote is right, Hans?

A couple of interesting items in the Burlington Hawkeye article posted at Leagle.
One - Mt. Pleasant doesn't ban weapons at city council meetings. Even after the 1986 murder of Mayor Ed King by Ralph Davis.
Two - showing more restraint than the mayor, the city attorney declined to comment.

Covering for Trousil

A West Burlington city councilman is on vacation for a couple of weeks and admits that he's been out of the loop with "iffy" cell and internet access. But he "knows" Mayor Trousil was misquoted regarding the "nut jobs" remark.

Right.

Falcon holds his ground and tosses out some more Trousil's Totalitarian Tumults.

Remember when he told fire department EMT's they wasted their time giving a person CPR because the person died anyway? How about when he KNOWINGLY made an illegal appointment to the airport authority, then after he was caught said. "Yeah we broke the law, so what." Remember when a District Court Judge slapped a permanent injunction on him (and others) after he illegally banned a councilman from meetings and afterward he proclaimed, "We didn't do anything wrong."

The list goes on and on. But you get the idea.

WB Gun Ban?

Mayor Trousil - Every city should have one just like him.

NRA lawsuit in Iowa

The NRA has given notice to West Burlington, IA that their city ban on handguns in any "structure, dwelling, garage or shelter owned, leased or otherwise occupied by the city" will be fought "with every means at our [NRA] disposal." Passed in 2002, this ban includes any carried by people with permits. NRA: Gun bans violate state law

Gun advocates have warned that they may consider legal action against cities or counties seeking to approve further restrictions.

"That's too bad," West Burlington Mayor Hans Trousil said about opposition to his city's ban from the National Rifle Association. "They need to sit in our chairs and worry about these nut jobs that go around with guns."

"Nut jobs." - Cute.

Apparently Trousil is referring to the Mt. Pleasant Mayor, Ed King (mentioned in the article) would was murdered during a city council meeting by Ralph Davis in 1986. Describing Davis as "disgruntled" but not mentioning why, here is some background. After city "improvements", sewage was backing up into Davis' basement on a regular basis. After repeated attempts to get the city to solve the problem, it is rumored that Mayor King blew Davis off. Davis then shot, killed the mayor and wounded two council members, then sat and waited for police.

The politicians running Burlington/West Burlington and Des Moines County have a nasty habit of pushing citizens around. Read Burlington Derailed for a history. Maybe Mayor Trousil should be nervous.

The rifle association and affiliated organizations in Iowa anticipate more attempts to thwart Iowa's new gun permit law once it goes into effect in January. The groups are preparing legal action in the event that other such laws and ordinances are approved by city and county governments, said Scott Pope, a lobbyist with the Iowa Sportsman Federation.

Dubuque is another city that is threatening gun ordinances.

Politicians apparently believe that a piece of paper would prevent violence from taking place. Also, they don't seem to think that a citizen could be the one who comes to their protection.

Because, as we know, guns in the hands of law enforcement officers = good, in the hands of citizens = bad.

Twin Tyrants

More from Spike regarding Mayor Hans Trousil: