By April Rodgers, Freelance Journalist | FreeWire—Your News, Your Voice
Cory never wanted to be in the spotlight. But after Sunday night, when photos and comments appeared on the now deleted Facebook page Citizens for a More Transparent Bucyrus, a page previously known to be run by Bucyrus City Council President Kurt Fankhauser, he knew he had to speak up.
The page, along with others like it, had been posting photos of local children, including five minors from our community, without permission over the past few months. Cory was one of them. His photo, taken on Saturday while he stopped at the square to say hello to council-at-large candidate Alena Fox*. The photo was later altered and shared publicly.
When I asked Cory why he decided to take a stand, he simply said, “Because it was the right thing to do. I’ve watched these council meetings before and seen how Mr. Fankhauser treated people, and I decided I wasn’t going to let him treat me that way.”
Cory made the decision to speak out entirely on his own, after reading comments directed at him such as, “Do you know who your daddy is?” After the photo was posted, Cory and I, his mother, received messages of support from sitting council members C. Aaron Sharrock, Vicki Dishon, and Kevin Myers, along with council-at-large candidate Alena Fox. Cory happened to be home from school sick on Monday when I came home for lunch. “I want to speak at the next council meeting,” he told me. I reminded him, “It’s tonight at seven, and I work until seven, you’ll have to get it ready.”
He did exactly that, even emailing me his statement to make sure it was appropriate for council. For full disclosure, I did provide the laws and ordinances that Cory referenced in his speech. They were given to me Sunday night by a member of the community who was sick of seeing children used on this public Facebook page as a weapon against their parents.
Walking into council that evening, I felt sick with nerves. Cory, on the other hand, was cool, calm, and collected. He stood up, approached the podium, and began, “My name is Cory, I’m 15 years old,” we’d asked several people whether Cory, being a minor, could be allowed to withhold last name and address. Everyone, excluding the council president, agreed he should not have to state it publicly.
As Cory read his prepared statement, which included the words:
“I shouldn’t have to come up here and tell adults how to behave, but here I am doing it anyway. I just want this council and everyone in this room to remember that kids deserve respect and protection, not to be used for political games.”
He finished and turned to sit down, the room applauded him by most in attendance. Throughout the evening, he received praise from Police Chief Dorsey, City Auditor Kali Lewis, and several council members. The praise continued on Facebook and many who approached his father and myself to tell us how proud they were of him. The one person who completely ignored him was Fankhauser.
When I later asked Cory how it felt to stand up and speak, a first for both of us as I’ve never spoken at a meeting, he shrugged and said, “It was okay, and I will do it again if I need to.” I asked if he’d ever thought about a future in city politics. He replied, “If some of the childish behavior continues, maybe, and I’ll be the oldest one there.”
His father and I, neither of whom are redheads; he gets that honor from my paternal grandfather, are very proud of him. He went and did what he needed to do. He stood up for himself, as well as for his dad and me, and he earned a lot of respect.
To the Galion resident who feels the need to speak about all of Bucyrus politics and said, “That pour kid, shame on you for trying to get him involved”, Cory would like you to know you spelled poor incorrectly.
*At the time we drove past and decided to say hello, there were only two people there, Ms. Fox and someone sitting behind a “Vote White for President” sign. There was no rally taking place as the Facebook page suggested.
I’m so very proud of how Cory has stepped up to advocate for himself. I’ve only recently met Cory, but I have been impressed with his demeanor and presence. He came to the Council meeting prepared and spoke well; he handled a difficult situation with class. Congrats Cory!