HAZELWOOD 鈥 A councilwoman here swore at a resident this week during a public meeting after the man accused her of ignoring rundown houses.
Kevin Foley, the husband of another council member, was complaining that the city had been ignoring derelict property violations, including one 鈥渄own the street鈥 from Councilwoman Lisa Matlock鈥檚 residence.
Matlock responded with an impromptu tirade, which included multiple obscenities.
鈥淚 am so tired of him coming in here every month at our meetings and tearing this council apart,鈥 Matlock said.
Hazelwood Councilwoman Lisa Matlock, Ward 5.聽
The exchange, during Hazelwood鈥檚 regular public council meeting Wednesday, prompted Mayor Matt Robinson to call Matlock out of order. Government meeting rules typically bar elected officials from addressing their comments to individual residents.
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It鈥檚 also the second time in two years a Hazelwood council member used profanity at a council meeting.
Last year, another sitting councilman called two colleagues a derogatory term. Afterwards, the council called a retreat to repair working relationships.
Both incidents were livestreamed on the city鈥檚 Facebook page.
Matlock, Foley and Robinson did not respond to requests for comment Friday.
Foley鈥檚 wife, Councilwoman Kelly Wadlow, was not present at the Wednesday meeting, and declined on Friday to comment on her husband鈥檚 interaction with Matlock.
Foley was one of a handful of residents to take turns addressing the council during its regular public comment session Wednesday night.
Council members were each ignoring problem properties in their wards, Foley said. He named Robinson, Matlock and Councilman Robert Smith in particular for ignoring specific alleged problem properties. That included a house in Matlock鈥檚 neighborhood he said the city previously paid $60,000 to abate.
Foley criticized Matlock for public remarks calling for 鈥渃ommunity engagement鈥 from residents, accusing her of failing her own duties as an elected official.
鈥淚 went by there today, and it鈥檚 back again that way, because there is a lack of code enforcement, because there is a problem with this council, because you are not asking questions,鈥 Foley said. 鈥淚n your own community, right down the street from your house, there is a lack of code enforcement.鈥
Later in the meeting, Matlock asked Robinson, the mayor, for time to speak and addressed Foley by name, over Robinson鈥檚 objections.
The house Foley referenced, Matlock said, was being addressed by the city but it was taking time to work through the legal process. But Foley, she said, was taking her words out of context and unfairly criticizing elected officials and city staff.
鈥淲e are trying our best and we are doing our jobs up here,鈥 Matlock said. 鈥淢r. Foley, you can shake your head all you want.
鈥淭hat house in my subdivision is being taken care of ... it is going through the process, and if you don鈥檛 like it you can f鈥斺 鈥 kiss my ass.鈥
Robinson interjected.
鈥淲e will not have that type of behavior from a sitting council member,鈥 he said.
Matlock then said she took the comment 鈥渂ack鈥 before wrapping up her remarks and leaving the room.
Last year, Councilman Warren 鈥淏utch鈥 Taylor, used the word 鈥渂itch鈥 to identify Wadlow and Councilwoman Jen Hatton while he Zoomed into a May 1, 2024, meeting from his home. Taylor was unaware that his computer microphone was not muted and that his words were broadcast on Facebook and in the council meeting room.
Hatton, Wadlow and Matlock said at the time that it was the latest example of mistreatment by some longtime male councilmen and that Robinson had failed to address their concerns. Several residents afterward called for Taylor鈥檚 resignation.
Robinson and Taylor later made public apologies and the council held a 鈥渞etreat鈥 in late 2024 meant to build better working relationships.
A resident said the councilman's slur was an example of "frank bullying and gender discrimination" on the council.
Warren "Butch" Taylor, a longtime councilman, used the word to identify the women on a Zoom call. He didn't realize he wasn't muted.
Post-Dispatch photographers capture tens of thousands of images every year. See some of their best work that was either taken in June 2025 in this video. Edited by Jenna Jones.
