In upstate New York, a current mayor and a former one have shared vastly contrasting accounts of an alleged altercation at a country club, which resulted in one of them ending up with injuries.
Current Rome Mayor Jeffrey Lanigan and former Mayor Jim Brown allegedly got into a physical altercation Tuesday night at the Teugega Country Club.
Brown claimed that Lanigan assaulted him in the parking lot and left him with a bloody injured arm that had to be treated at a local hospital.
‘He body-slammed me into the car. He caught me off guard. I didn’t see him coming,’ Brown told the Daily Sentinel.
According to Brown, who was in office from 2004 until 2011, the incident occurred as he was heading towards a car with someone else when Lanigan, the mayor elected in 2024, confronted him.
‘I was having a direct conversation with another person,’ Brown recounted, ‘when suddenly, without warning, [Lanigan] rushed over and shoved me into the side of the vehicle. Just like that, boom,’ the ex-mayor explained.
‘And then he looks me in the eye and says, “We don’t want you here. We don’t want you here.” Twice.’
However, Lanigan alleged that he approached Brown respectfully and that he tried to help his predecessor because he appeared intoxicated.
Former Rome Mayor Jim Brown (pictured) claimed he was assaulted by his successor in a country club parking lot and left with a bloody injured arm
Current Rome Mayor Jeffrey Lanigan (pictured) alleged that he approached Brown respectfully and that he tried to help his predecessor because he appeared intoxicated
The two mayors allegedly sparred Tuesday night at the Teugega Country Club (pictured)
‘Mayor Lanigan, and in an attempt to get his attention placed his hand on Mr. Brown’s shoulder. Mr. Brown responded by flailing his arms and he became verbally aggressive,’ his office told CNY Central.
‘Recognizing Mr. Brown’s apparent level of intoxication, Mayor Lanigan made the decision to escort him to his designated driver’s vehicle a short distance away for his own safety.
‘While assisting Mr. Brown into the car, the verbal dispute continued. No physical assault occurred, and the situation ended shortly thereafter.’
Brown refuted Lanigan’s version of events and claimed there is video evidence that supports his statement.
‘It’s a lie,’ said Brown. ‘There’s footage. They have the footage, I think the Sheriff’s Department has the video, because there’s cameras on the parking lot.’
Oneida County Sheriff Robert Maciol confirmed to local news outlets on Wednesday that his office took a complaint from Brown regarding the confrontation.
‘We did receive a complaint from former Mayor Brown concerning an incident last night at the Teugega County Club involving current Mayor Lanigan,’ Maciol said.
‘Deputies have spoken to some witnesses and taken some witness depositions. Currently obtaining some potential video footage.’
Brown (left) refuted Lanigan’s (right) version of events and claimed there is video evidence that supports his statement
As of Wednesday afternoon, no charges had been filed nor arrests had been made, according the local news.
Lanigan claimed the two of them had been friends for years until recently when Brown started bashing ‘his administration for no apparent reason.’
‘Public life can bring moments of tension, and unfortunately, politics can be ugly. I am disappointed in Mr. Brown’s recent public outbursts,’ he said.
‘As a former mayor and friend, I assumed I could speak to him in a respectful manner. Unfortunately, his level of intoxication impacted the conversation.’
