By Nicole Coleman/colemann@gnnewspaper.com
ALBION — Outraged residents demanded Michael Hadick resign from his position as mayor at Wednesday evening’s village board meeting in response to nude photographs, allegedly of him, that surfaced on the Internet last week.
The restless crowd waited for more than two hours before the day’s business items were completed and the floor was opened for public comments.
“As a resident and taxpayer of the Village of Albion, I, Larry Harvey, suggest that you resign for the good of the village,” Albion resident Larry Harvey told Hadick. “You are not qualified to run as the mayor. Your lack of moral character leaves a lot to be desired.”
“It’s appalling,” agreed Albion resident Annette Finch. “He made such a mockery of this village. I think he needs to step down.”
Hadick rolled his SUV into a ditch June 3 while driving under the influence of alcohol. He had a blood alcohol content of 0.12 percent and was charged with failure to keep right and speeding, in addition to the DWI. The legal blood alcohol content limit is 0.08 percent.
At the time, Hadick told police he swerved to miss a deer while driving home from a friend’s house. The vehicle overturned in the middle of East Countyhouse Road in the Town of Albion, about half a mile from Route 98 at approximately 10 p.m. Hadick safely walked away from the scene of the accident, declining ambulance treatment.
In Albion Town Court Tuesday evening, Hadick pled guilty to driving while under the influence of alcohol and failure to keep right. Town Judge Dennis Stirk revoked Hadick’s driver’s license for 90 days and fined him $460. Additionally, Hadick was told to attend two Mothers Against Drunk Driving meetings.
Community members became antsy half-way through the Wednesday meeting when the board called an executive session regarding village personnel, and they still had not been called on to speak. Before the executive session, Hadick stopped the meeting to sign Participation In Government students’ attendance sheets so that they could “go home,” he said.
“We never get this many people at a meeting. We usually get two,” said Trustee Bruce Sidari during the meeting before the public spoke. “I’m glad there’s a lot of people here tonight. I wish you’d come more often.”
When it finally came time to speak, only a few community members did, but they were met with enthusiastic rounds of applause. Finch said that public officials, including Hadick, should live by a “higher standard.”
“Look at the embarrassment you have brought to this village,” she said. “You skirt the issues. You have your own agenda. We need to take back our village.”
“What are we supposed to tell our kids? How do we explain your actions?” said a concerned community member who did not release her name, referring to the DWI incident and the controversial Web site that has posted negative things about Hadick and his personal life since he took office in May 2006. More recently, photos of supposedly of Hadick nude and with a keg of beer appeared on the Web site.
Hadick said the Web site was only created “to make the village think the wrong thing” and that he is a community volunteer every Saturday morning.
“What type of people would post that on the Internet?” Sidari said, mentioning that there are four individuals who run the Web site.
Sidari requested that the community not include the board in their comments about Hadick.
“We all put a lot of hours in. It’s what we do for the village,” Sidari said. “Mike’s issue is Mike’s issue. There are a lot of positive things happening in the village. They’re not all negative things that go on here.”
Trustee Michael Neidert said the board was ready to ask for Hadick’s resignation after the DWI incident. He also said that he has not seen the pictures or the Web site and does not intend to.
“I don’t think it’s a life a public official should be leading,” Neidert said. “I personally think he should resign. I personally do not agree with his actions, but while he’s mayor I’m working for him and with him.”
Trustees Dean Theodorakos and Kevin Sheehan did not comment on the situation. Hadick said that he is 38 years old, implying that the pictures could have been taken in his youth.
“That’s my face on there. The rest of it I’m not sure of,” said Hadick.
Contact reporter Nicole Colemanat 798-1400, ext. 2227.
