ST. JOHNS, Mich. (WLNS) – The former mayor of St. Johns is frustrated, and now
Roberta Cocco is sharing her thoughts on social media.
She lambasted everything from the city’s involvement with a private development project to personnel issues within city leadership. She resigned from the position last month.
Cocco said on her website she would often face “hostility” when asking city leaders like the interim city manager about policies and data related to the Wilson Center, a former school slated for redevelopment.
Cocco said that hostility was part of a laundry list of issues that lead to her decision to resign. She said her short time leading the city commission was marked by rejected motions and clarification requests left unanswered.
“A lot of the issues I was looking into, I couldn’t get the support necessary to take any kind of action. Whether it’s to verify numbers or get a business plan or why the Wilson Center really made sense,” said Cocco.
READ MORE: Less than 6 months in, St. Johns mayor announces resignation
One of her concerns is centered around commissioners potentially paying hundreds of thousands of dollars for a part of a building that originally cost developers $50,000.
“The idea the city would invest taxpayer dollars and buy a portion of the building for almost a million dollars, keeping in mind that that portion of the building doesn’t have a heater that works. To me, that’s not a good deal,” she said.
In a Facebook live video, Cocco suggested the treasurer that is acting as interim city manager should be reprimanded or removed for behavior she called “unprofessional” and “hostile.”
“We did have a complaint about some unprofessional and profane language that was used during the meeting on April 4 and I don’t think that was properly handled,” said Cocco.
6 News reached out to members of the St. John’s city commission for comment on Cocco’s claims and tried to reach the city’s treasurer by phone, email and in person. We have yet to hear back from anyone.
