St. Francis Council member is defiant when asked to resign

St. Francis residents upset by City Council Member LeRoy Schaffer's anti-immigrant comments asked him to resign at Monday night's council meeting.

Schaffer's response? "Nuts."

The latest controversy around Schaffer began on June 5, when St. Francis police took a call from him requesting a check on a crew of roofers he had heard speaking Spanish as they worked on the 23000 block of Flintwood Street NW. The crew, whose immigration status Schaffer was questioning, was gone by the time police arrived.

KSTP-TV (Ch. 5) picked up on the story and broadcast video of Schaffer shouting down a reporter.

At Monday's meeting, some residents expressed dismay at Schaffer's behavior.

"I have a lot of friends who are from Mexican heritage and who are from Mexico," said Jeff Sandoval, a St. Francis resident of Mexican ancestry. "They all say the same thing: 'Why would I want to come there?'" He added that the sight of "five men working on a roof, doing a job" isn't suspicious.

Melissa Jabas called Schaffer's behavior "a mark on us as a city."

It's not the first time Schaffer has been in the hot seat. In December, the council censured him for "harassing and offensive behavior" toward a 20-year-old woman at a community fundraiser.

But others at Monday's meeting called Schaffer a patriot or argued that he has a right to speak his mind.

"His comments were offensive to some, but it's still a land where we have freedom of speech," said Ron Benkler. "I would hope that anyone who saw something unusual, something suspicious, would have the good sense to pick up the phone."

Earlier Monday, Schaffer, a first-term council member, said a vast majority of calls he's received have been supportive. He said he hopes his actions can be the start of a campaign for immigration changes in the United States, for the benefit of both immigrants and U.S. citizens.

He said that he called police because he wanted to be sure the law was being upheld and that jobs were not being usurped by people who have come to the United States without papers, many of whom are exploited, he said.

Mayor Randy Dressen said the council will not act until members have been advised by the city attorney.

Dressen can't fire Schaffer or ask him to resign. Council members could vote to censure him, but Dressen said he has asked them to withhold judgment and comment until the city attorney's investigation is completed by the July 7 meeting.

In his comments Monday night, Schaffer challenged his critics: "If you want to recall me, get out and recall me, but am I going to quit? No way."