Clinton has been beset by a plague of criminal activity.  To those who reside in Clinton this story is not new, they have witnessed the reprehensible behavior of those responsible for the illicit influence that now disrupts the serenity of Clinton.  The perpetrators: Scot and Mary Welch, their crime you could not fathom.  Perhaps you wonder as to what their infraction is; are they infant slave traders, do they deal black market weapons from the stoop of their idyllic home on Kitchings Drive?  We could only wish that their crime was comparable to those listed above; no, their crime is more heinous, more depraved than either, they have built a tree house. 

            For the record I am neither impartial nor do I comprehend why the City Council of Clinton has made themselves a mockery.  Clinton’s mayor, Rosemary Aultman, and her aldermen, save one, have argued that the Welch’s tree house, a two story Victorian-esque masterpiece with bunk bed and sliding windows labored over by Scot Welch for his children, is in violation of a city ordinance that prohibits accessory buildings, such as tool sheds, in the front or side yards of Clinton homes without a permit. When Mayor Aultman and the city council demanded that the Welch’s tear down their tree house, the Welch’s refused. 

            For almost a decade I lived a street over from the Welch’s.  I watched the tree house take form, from a bare-studded frame to an aesthetic creation of love supported amidst three giant and lush shade trees, and I have seen it function, providing children a safe and secure habitat for their burgeoning and exciting imaginations.  The decision of Scot and Mary Welch to stand against the unrelenting, pit-bull voracity of Clinton’s mayor and her minions, I salute, for it has been the proper and the just action. 

            The City has taken the Welch’s to court, proliferating their suit with money pulled from reluctant, not to mention tree house supporting taxpayers and voters, while costing the Welch’s thousands in legal fee.  And the City has lost.  The lone dissenting city alderman, Herb Touchton, said, “I do not believe this particular structure is an accessory building nor is it intended to be covered by the ordinance that we have on file.”  Judge Tomie Green was like minded when she handed down a ruling in July that upheld Mr. Touchton’s and the Welch’s assertion from the beginning, also stating that the mayor and her council’s pursuit to rid the city of the tree house was “unreasonable, arbitrary and capricious”.

             As many of the aldermen declared in an August 2002 Board meeting that they wanted to keep the tree house if found legal, it would seem that their intentions had been honorable, but the mayor and her sycophants have scoffed at Judge Green’s ruling and appealed to higher courts.  Their facade of pursuing justice has been unveiled to reveal what appears to be a three-ring circus of personal vendetta, malicious pride and a misuse of city power and money.  I am reminded of the Red Queen from “Alice in Wonderland” shouting, with spite in her heart, “Off with their heads!  Off with their heads!”

             As I was looking over the City of Clinton’s web site I was perplexed by a promise made to those who would want to simply visit or begin a life there.  The statement read, “We are committed to making our city the best place for them [city inhabitants] to work, play, raise a family and retire.”  This is a wonderful doctrine, one that is incongruent with the city council’s dogging of families with tree houses, one that Scot and Mary Welch are still striving for, if they can ever get off the bad side of Mayor Aultman and her city council.

             For more information regarding the tree house, its family, the local and national coverage it has received, board meeting transcripts and Judge Green’s ruling, please visit www.saveourtreehouse.com .