Rodney Mullins Running as Write-In Candidate for Ward 3 Council Seat

Rodney Mullins, who was disqualified from the April election for being in arrears on a city bill, has decided to run as a write-in candidate for the Ward 3 Arnold City Council seat.

State law requires council candidates to have all city bills paid before the last day of filing, which was Jan. 15. Mullins said he mailed his quarterly sewer bill in December.

On Jan. 16, Mullins said he received a courtesy call from the city clerk notifying him that the city had not received payment and because of that, he was disqualified from the election.

Mullins said he was out of town at the time, but his wife offered to come to City Hall and pay the bill even though they had already mailed the payment.

"The clerk told my wife there was nothing that could be done about the disqualification," he said. "I know they are not required to notify candidates of potential problems, but it would have been nice if the 'courtesy call' would have come before the filing deadline."

Mullins said the city eventually received the original check he mailed, and that it was deposited into Arnold's account six days after he received the call notifying him of the disqualification. He requested photos of the envelope the check was mailed in. (See attached photos.)

It's evident the envelope is in an altered state," he said. "The postmark is unreadable, and it appears to have tiremarks and footprints on it."

Nonetheless, Mullins is pursuing the Ward 3 seat on a write-in status. He will be running against incumbent Phil Amato.

When voters go to the polls, they will see two choices for the Ward 3 seat - "Phil Amato" and "Write In." Mullins said residents who vote for him will have to mark the write-in box and write his name in the space provided.

"I know it's going to be a tough battle, but I think I can bring some level-headedness to the council," he said. "From a business perspective, the organization is in complete turmoil. People need to stop fighting and suing each other."

Mullins, who has lived in Arnold since 1972, said he has never run for public office and doesn't know anyone on the council or at City Hall. "It's just something I've thought about doing for years," he said.

For more information about Mullins, visit his website.

Stay tuned to Patch in coming weeks for profiles on each candidate in the race for city council.