08-02-2005According to Janette Fairchild, “no one knows what’s going on” at the Warsaw city council.
Fairchild, who went before the council Monday, spoke out against the recent ordinance involving massage establishment regulations and said that she felt targeted and harassed by community leaders.
In an emotional address that brought about the eventual rap of the mayor’s gavel to rule her out of order, Fairchild questioned areas in the ordinance that she believed were unjust and wondered how her business would be regulated under the new laws.
Fairchild said that she had a recorded conversation with a secretary of Valentine Miner and Lemon law firm who said Fairchild’s business was grandfathered under the new ordinance.
City Attorney Mike Valentine expressed disapproval of Fairchild’s statements, saying he was present for the conversation and heard no comments regarding grandfathering.
“You are a liar,” Valentine said.
Fairchild then claimed her business was being treated differently than others in the community.
In one area of the new regulation, massage establishments are required to provide bathrooms on location for each sex. Fairchild said that a local gas station had only a unisex bathroom and that her business should not be regulated differently.
Fairchild then said no business in Warsaw pays such high company and employee fees as required in the ordinance. Non-refundable fees of $150 for business entities and $25 fees per employee are to be enforced in the new law.
“I am being targeted by a bunch of hypocrites,” Fairchild said.
Mayor Ernie Wiggins ruled Fairchild out of order after she accused members of the Winona Lake town council and Warsaw Police Department as being frequent patrons of her establishment.
“This is going too far,” Wiggins said. “From my understanding, you feel like you are being targeted. Your business was not targeted in this ordinance, and if you’re not doing anything illegal, then you have nothing to worry about.”
Wiggins said the new law focuses on safety regulations regarding health precautions and the removal of businesses from living quarters.
Though the ordinance is in effect, it is not currently being enforced, Wiggins said.