Former Mayor Brant Walker is questioning the City of Alton’s use of New Frontier Materials’ public relations firm to handle communications concerning the sinkhole at Gordon Moore Park when the company could face potential liability for that sinkhole.
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It was reported by The Telegraph on July 15, 2024, that “the City of Alton has ‘consulted’ and worked closely with the public crisis relations (PCR) team from New Frontier Materials since the sinkhole formed at Gordon Moore Park in Alton on June 26.”
“The sole purpose of a crisis public relations firm is to control the narrative and protect its client, which in this case is New Frontier Materials, not the City of Alton,” said Brant Walker. “It is a travesty that this administration has subjugated the interests of taxpayers to the interests of a company with potential liability for a disaster simply because it lacks the competence to communicate with the public.”
“It took three weeks and multiple closed-door meetings with the mining company for the current administration to hold a press conference to provide the public with the most basic information about the mine failure resulting in the sinkhole in Gordon Moore Park,” continued Walker. “That’s unacceptable and we as taxpayers deserve better.”
“Further, during that press conference, it was revealed that New Frontier Materials observed the first signs of mine subsistence at 4:30 a.m. on June 26th prior to the sinkhole forming just after 9 a.m.,” said Walker. “In the interest of public safety, why was the park not immediately closed instead of waiting until after 3 p.m. that day to issue a closure notice?”
“It was also reported that City officials required all questions to be submitted via email prior to the press conference,” stated Walker. “Was this done so that New Frontier’s PR team could structure responses that protected themselves from potential liability?”
“This is a true ‘wag the dog’ moment,” said Walker. “The tail is wagging the dog due to the incompetence of this administration and its inability to communicate with the public.”
“Having successfully led the city through four of the top ten floods in Alton history and navigating the unprecedented uncertainty of the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic, I understand the importance of transparency and communication with our residents,” stated Walker. “The interests of taxpayers should never be put behind the interests of a company that could face liability for a disaster such as this sinkhole.”
For more information about Brant Walker and his 2025 campaign for Mayor, visit www.BrantWalkerForMayor.com.
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