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A routine stop at Wagner City Hall turned into a masterclass in government stonewalling when an assistant city manager refused to answer basic questions about his own community. The exchange revealed a pattern of hostility toward public accountability that extends far beyond normal bureaucratic caution.
The Assistant Who Knew Nothing
Eric Thomas, working behind the front desk at Wagner City Hall, claimed ignorance about fundamental aspects of city operations. How many aldermen serve on the council? "I do not know." Who handles human resources? A guess at best. Whether the police chief can hire and fire his own officers? "I am not sure."
Most telling was Thomas's refusal to recommend a single local restaurant, claiming he couldn't show "favoritism" toward any business. When pressed, he admitted he only eats fast food and doesn't patronize local establishments. The moment crystallized Wagner's approach to public service: officials who won't even promote their own community's businesses.
The Building That Remembers
This wasn't the first contentious encounter at Wagner City Hall. Thomas had previously called police on the same journalist during a routine visit, forcing a tense wait in the lobby chairs until officers arrived and confirmed no laws were broken. The incident established a pattern of treating basic accountability journalism as a threat rather than a civic function.
The irony wasn't lost as Thomas fielded questions while a recently burned building sat visible through the windows. The downtown structure, reduced to debris and collapsed ceilings just months earlier, served as a backdrop to discussions about a city struggling with basic infrastructure and transparency.
Water Department Questions Hit a Wall
The most significant stonewalling centered on Wagner's water treatment operations. With Oklahoma cities increasingly applying human waste biosolids to agricultural land, the journalist sought to determine whether Wagner participates in these controversial "humanure" programs. Thomas claimed the water department wasn't in the building and directed all questions elsewhere.
The evasion raises questions about what Wagner might be trying to hide. Other cities visited the same day answered similar water treatment questions without hesitation. Wagner's defensive posture suggests either embarrassing practices or officials trained to avoid accountability at all costs.
Police Department Cooperation Creates Stark Contrast
The difference became clear at Wagner Police Department, where Lieutenant Christopher Moody answered every question directly and professionally. Body cameras purchased recently. Sixteen officers total. Three to four per shift. Vehicle take-home policies clearly explained.
Moody's transparency made City Hall's obstruction look even worse by comparison. If police can discuss their operations openly, why can't city administrators handle basic questions about council meetings and department structures?
The Deeper Problems Surface
Between the lines, bigger issues emerged. A million-dollar marijuana development downtown that never materialized. Buildings burning down in a deteriorating city center. Water treatment questions that trigger immediate deflection. An elected police chief system that even city employees can't fully explain.
Wagner appears to be a community where accountability has broken down so completely that asking simple questions feels like an interrogation. The contrast with neighboring cities suggests this isn't normal small-town caution but institutional hostility toward oversight.
The full confrontation at Wagner City Hall reveals exactly why some officials fear cameras and questions. Watch how defensive responses often expose more than honest answers would.
