COLUMBUS, Ind. — Columbus city councilman Frank Jerome is under fire for inappropriate comments made on social media.
On Monday, August 8, while a fire was raging at Foxpointe Commons Apartments, Jerome posted the following comment on his Facebook page, “Don’t they know they is an ordinance about open burning within city limits?” At the time the comment seemed misplaced and insensitive to the 14 people who were forced from their homes as a result of the fire.
In the past, Jerome has posted off-color comments about a recent female, African American athlete that had won a gold medal. Jerome has also posted at least one derogatory comment about a former mayor of Columbus. That comment in part read, “In Vietnam she (the former mayor) would have been fragged.” The definition of “frag” is to deliberately kill (an unpopular senior officer), typically with a hand grenade.
Jerome has removed some of these comments allegedly at the request of fellow elected officials.
Resident, David Jones entered a letter into the public record during a recent council meeting that asked for a unanimous censure of Jerome. The statement from Jones included, “Mayor Lienhoop was correct in his campaign when he said “The tone starts at the top.” Unfortunately, we the citizens of Columbus are experiencing a tone that is deaf to the public, silent to critical issues within the Common Council, blind to scandal, corruption, and disrespect of the voter and taxpayers of our community.”
Councilman Jerome and Mayor Lienhoop declined to provide a comment to Local News Digital.