By AP/KWMU
Valley Park, Mo. – A former city secretary in Valley Park says she was fired because of an affair with the mayor.
In a lawsuit, Roxanne Ruppel claims Mayor Jeffery Whitteaker fired her last year because city officials were upset that the two were in a relationship. Whitteaker is married and declined comment.
City Attorney Eric Martin said Ruppel was fired because she angered aldermen by asking for a raise.
Martin said he has no idea if Whitteaker and Ruppel had a relationship.
Whitteaker is up for re-election in two weeks.
He brought national attention to Valley Park in the last year by pushing for ordinances that target illegal immigrants.