The mayor of Cool Valley, who has been accused by aldermen of abusing the city’s vehicles and neglecting his job, sent an email just before impeachment hearings began on Wednesday, saying he had “retired from politics.”
Aldermen and their attorneys determined that Mayor Jason Stewart’s email did not constitute a formal resignation from his elected office.
Stewart gained international attention when he ran for the 2020 election by promising every Cool Valley resident $1,000 in bitcoin, but for the Alderman’s Committee he made two commitments. It failed to produce a city budget and refused to return the city’s car and gas card when requested by the commission. Among other failures, the alderman said.
Stewart returned the vehicle, a former police car with high mileage, on Tuesday night, according to Cool Valley city officials.
The Missouri Department of Audit confirmed Wednesday that it is investigating Cool Valley based on a whistleblower complaint.
