BELLVILLE — Mayor Teri Brenkus said she has no intention of stepping down, despite a recent request from council.
Bellville Village Council voted 6-0 last week to ask for the mayor’s resignation, citing concerns of “moral misconduct and appearance of impropriety.”
Council also voted 6-0 to place village administrator Larry Weirich on paid administrative leave while it investigated allegations of moral misconduct.
Brenkus confirmed to Richland Source on Monday council’s request was due to her “personal relationship” with Weirich.
In a statement on her Facebook page, Brenkus told residents the two village employees have remained professional and didn’t attempt to hide their relationship from village council.
“Council asked us about our relationship and we never denied it, but confirmed it is true,” Brenkus said.
Brenkus said she has poured her heart and soul into the role of mayor and plans to continue serving in the position she has held for seven years.
“It has really been such an honor and a wonderful experience to represent the village,” she said. “I have always done what’s best for the village and the staff. I am blessed to work with an incredible crew here.”
Council HR committee is investigating, chair says
Councilman Jason Guilliams, who chairs the human resources and finance committee, said the council is still conducting an investigation regarding the matter.
“We have continued to work with our solicitor on next steps and even potential outside counsel to make sure that we’re operating in the best interest of the village employees,” he said.
Guilliams said council does not have the authority to fire the mayor, as it is an elected position.
“Our responsibility and authority would be specifically over employees like Mr. Weirich,” he said.
“From the perspective of the mayor, our motion (requesting her resignation) stands, although she has rejected it.”
According to Brenkus, the village once restructured its chain of command to accommodate a similar relationship between individuals from different departments during a previous administration.
“They have restructured before for relationship issues,” she said. “There has been a precedent set in the past for this. I would like (council) to stay consistent.”
Brenkus also pointed out that while the village administrator does report to the mayor, he also reports to council.
Per village policy, annual salaries and pay rate schedules are set by council alone.
Neither the village employee handbook nor village ordinances prohibits, or offers guidance on, personal or romantic relationships with coworkers. These documents do prohibit nepotism in hiring family members, including spouses.
Richland Source obtained access to both Brenkus and Weirich’s personnel files through a public records request. Neither village employee had any record of discipline, evaluation or complaints levied against them.
Village administrator became full-time position in 2022
Brenkus is a part-time village employee and earns an annual salary of $16,000. Her career in the village began when she was appointed to complete the term of Darrell Banks, who was elected Richland County commissioner in November 2016.
Brenkus took office in January 2017 and was unopposed for the seat during subsequent elections in 2019 and 2023.
Weirich, a full-time employee, earns a salary of $65,000. He was hired as village administrator in October 2015.
At the time of Weirich’s hire, village administrator was a part-time position with an hourly wage of $20. It remained so until October 2021, when council passed an ordinance changing it to full-time. The ordinance took effect in January 2022.
The ordinance stated the reason was that village council wished to provide health insurance benefits along with the position. Council went on to set a salary of $60,000 annually, which has since risen to $65,500.
Both Brenkus and Guilliams said it’s not uncommon for small towns to reduce a mayor’s hours and increase hours for a village administrator, as they are more familiar with infrastructure issues.
Guilliams said Brenkus asked council to consider the change, but that the HR committee explored the idea before issuing a similar recommendation to council.
“At the time it was determined that the administrator role had evolved into a full-time position and therefore was eligible for benefits,” Guilliams said.
“That transition actually started back when Commissioner Banks was mayor, when they rolled back the mayor’s salary to create that village administrator position and continue to expand it to what it is today,” he said.
