Dixon City Councilman Michael Ceremello had to be escorted out and given a 30-minute cooling off period following his outburst during the council comments portion of the meeting, according to the Vacaville Reporter.
According to the report, “when it was Ceremello’s turn, he launched into a lengthy commentary on an action taken at the previous council meeting regarding a weed abatement order issued for his yard.
Ceremello had not been allowed to vote on the matter; in fact, he had to leave the chamber during the debate. When Vice Mayor Rick Fuller interrupted, Ceremello shouted into his microphone, ‘You do not have the floor. Please sit back and shut the (expletive) up! The editorial board at The Reporter wrote yesterday:
“The most appalling thing Mr. Ceremello did was to violate the state ethics law that prohibits a public official from using his position “to influence a governmental decision in which he knows … he has a financial interest.”
Mr. Ceremello brought up the May 11 weed abatement hearing, during which the City Council voted to include his home on a list of properties that need to be cleaned up before fire season. During that hearing, the state law regarding conflicts of interest required Mr. Ceremello to leave the dais and the council chamber, although he was allowed back in to present his defense at the public podium.
On Tuesday, Mr. Ceremello stated he had viewed the video of the meeting, then began rebutting statements made during it. When he started to lecture his colleagues about how they don’t understand the U.S. Constitution, Vice Mayor Rick Fuller tried to interrupt. That’s when Mr. Ceremello pulled out the ultimate profanity. Later, he had the temerity to reveal that he had planned to use the word all along.
Dixon Mayor Jack Batchelor told the newspaper, “I’d never seen anything so unprofessional.”
