Palmer council "arrested" at meeting

PALMER -- The Palmer City Council was placed under citizen's arrest at its regular meeting Tuesday, by a man who claimed the council members and city officials were running an illegal government.

Speaking to the council under the "persons to be heard" agenda item, Ralph Winterrowd told the council members they weren't properly sworn into office.

"You've been operating without a proper oath," Winterrowd said. ". . . based on your own charter there ought to be a fine and imprisonment."

Winterrowd said the members did not use the oath that was in the city's own charter. Winterrowd cited several documents, including the U.S. Constitution, the Alaska Constitution, Alaska statutes, the Palmer municipal code and the Palmer city charter.

At one point Winterrowd told the council Palmer operated an illegal police department that harassed citizens -- according to Winterrowd, that amounts to terrorism.

Mayor Jim Cooper asked Winterrowd to stick to his point, and Winterrowd finished up by telling the council members they were under citizen's arrest. He then left to call the Alaska State Troopers.

Three other men were with Winterrowd. Lee Swavely and Dave Bartels also spoke to the council and accused them of running an illegal government. One of the men also claimed that when a government agency spells a person's name with all capital letters, it renders the document useless.

The encounter was unusual but never violent or loud. All three men, along with an unnamed companion, left the council chamber and were waiting in the hallway when Palmer police Sgt. Charlie Crim arrived, apparently responding to the call Winterrowd placed to the troopers.

Earlier in the meeting the council had an extra agenda item related to one of Winterrowd's claims. In a memo to the council, city manager Tom Healy wrote that the council needed to administer a new oath of office for new council members Steve Carrington and Kathrine Vanover, and Jim Cooper, Palmer's new mayor.

The re-swearing was not enough to satisfy Winterrowd, but in a discussion with Crim, Winterrowd said city officials were "moving in the right direction."

Crim didn't arrest the council members, but did listen to Winterrowd's diatribe against the local government for nearly an hour, without incident. Using an earphone and a microphone on his lapel, Crim continuously monitored his radio and occasionally engaged in brief radio conversations while Winterrowd talked.

Meanwhile, the council proceeded with its regular agenda.

Several people later thanked Healy and Cooper for putting up with the flak generated by Winterrowd and his friends. Council member Diana Long works at the Palmer office of the Alaska Division of Motor Vehicles, and said she and her coworkers often encounter similar situations at work.

Council member Tony Pippel said he wanted to remind everyone that the United States was founded by people with "some pretty radical ideas" -- not the least of which is that government officials are obliged to listen to citizens' concerns.

"They came here to give us hell, and that's what America's all about." Pippel said after the meeting.

Neither Healy nor Crim could remember stationing police at council chambers or appointing a sergeant at arms at past meetings. Crim said he had encountered similar situations in Palmer before, most often at the courthouse.

"There was a guy who wanted to pay a fine using only silver coins and insisted on a certain exchange rate," Crim said.

Winterrowd called the Frontiersman Wednesday after the meeting. He said he was still not satisfied that the city has all of its legal ducks in a row, and that he might take action he believes could sink the city's bond ratings. He also said he plans to ask for criminal investigations.

"We're going to the FBI if we have to go that far," Winterrowd said ". . . if you don't have an oath, then your office is vacant."