Shireman posted to social media asking followers to boycott Randy’s Tire and Auto Repair due to owner’s daughter’s public criticism
2024 City Council members
Council Member At-Large Carolyn Shireman posted to her Facebook account on Tuesday that she is calling for a Boycott of Randy’s Tire and Auto Repair, a tire shop owned and operated in Bucyrus since 1998 by Randy Scheffler. The reason? The apparent “chaos and havoc” Scheffler’s wife and daughter are allegedly causing at city hall.
Shireman’s post pontificating (Dec. 7) and calling for boycott (Dec. 10)
What chaos and havoc are Laura Scheffler and Clarissa Slater wreaking on City Council and specifically the at-large member? As with most anything that comes from Shireman, it is hard to tell. We’ve reached out to Shireman for comment but have yet to hear back.
Best we can tell, Shireman takes issue mostly with Mrs. Slater who regularly speaks during the public portion of City Council meetings, asking questions, doing research, keeping council honest–things many would view as simply being a good, civic-minded citizen.
We reached out to other members of Council because surely if Slater is wreaking havoc, they would be in agreement with the at-large member.
Council member Zyan Hickman responded to Shireman’s boycott, “I find it ridiculous and tiring that she is still choosing to act like an undignified child. The fact that she’s trying to boycott a business because the owners’ children can form an independent thought and express their opinions freely, as they have the right to do, is terribly ridiculous. She needs to learn to take the criticism and ignore it. If she can’t handle it, then she clearly needs to resign and not come back.”
Council Member Kevin Myers also responded thusly:
“I’m extremely disappointed that a seated member of this council would use their public platform to call for a boycott of a local business. We are a representative form of government- but I’m skeptical that this elected official had constituents ask for their representative to request such a boycott.
We should be focused on attracting new business to our community by supporting both small business owners as well as larger corporations, not tearing down existing businesses who have been supportive members of our community for many years.
We need to get back to a place where our local government is respected and trusted to represent our community. Being divisive and calling for boycotts on our local businesses is not the way to accomplish that.”
Council member C. Aaron Sharrock also lamented the actions of her fellow member, “I do not condone any of the actions of Ms Shireman. I can tell you those are her personal feelings and do not reflect council as a whole. I do not feel anyone should ever attempt to use their position in order to cause harm. I don’t care how you feel about a person, you do not do things to try to destroy their livelihood. That is completely unacceptable behavior. I am sorry that members of our community are being attacked in this way.”
Council member James Mee declined to officially comment but did also clarify that “She doesn’t speak for all of city council or administration”
No other member has yet to respond to our request for comment.
Randy Scheffler and his family, for what it’s worth, are not taking this attack on their family lying down. Laura Scheffler who manages her husband’s business told us,
“My daughters are very independent and intelligent women who love their community. They brought their concerns to council and were met with hostility from Mrs. Shireman who began to target them in a negative light to keep them from addressing council. She even went as far as to contact my daughter’s work place and school in her official capacity as a council person in order to elicit disciplinary actions. Apparently since those tactics didn’t work, she decided to attack our business by posting on social media to boycott us. What new families or businesses would want to locate here when they see the likes of Mrs. Shireman trying to hurt a business that has been in the community for twenty five years. I hope these issues will be addressed by city hall.”
Adrienne Kemery, Randy Scheffler’s other daughter, posted this in response:
The post has garnered 82 comments and 18 shares on Facebook, all so far in support of Kemery, Slater, the Schefflers, and Randy’s Tire and Auto Repair.
It is interesting to note that the daughters of other Bucyrus car shop owners have rallied in support of Randy Scheffler and his family.
Once again, Shireman’s inability to take criticism has resulted in her vindictively lashing out. It is shocking to think a sitting City Council member could be so rattled by public comments that she would actually call for a boycott of a local business owned not by the person who made the comments, but that person’s father who’s never spoken a word in a Council meeting. One would be hardpressed to find another city where this behavior is so commonplace.
The at-large member very often remarks that she is acting out of the “concerns of her constituents,” but as Council member Myers points out, what constituent would ask for a boycott of a local business?
Shireman’s boycott is so short-sighted and misguided as to be unbelievable, but this is but a drop in the bucket of the asinine words and actions from Council lately.
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