GILMAN — The mayor of Gilman and a former city councilman were both arrested earlier this week after the latest flare-up in a dispute that dates back nearly five years.

Les Meyers, 70, who has served as mayor of the southeastern Marshall County community since 2024, was charged with harassment, a simple misdemeanor, on Thursday, and Andrew Nott, the husband of current Gilman City Councilwoman Laurie Nott and a former city councilman himself from 2015 to 2021, was arrested for violating a protective or no-contact order on Wednesday.

The arrest report for Meyers alleges that he “knowingly harassed (Nott) by being in the vicinity of his property and taking videos and or photographs of (Nott).”

“The defendant was observed doing this over an extended period of time by (Nott),” the report reads.

Nott’s arrest report was not immediately available, but it was indicated that by “flipping off” Meyers, he violated the no-contact order between the two.

According to court records, Nott was previously convicted of assault, disorderly conduct and third degree harassment for throwing two pens and charging at Meyers inside the council chambers back in 2021 after an argument over snow removal when both were serving on the council, and a no-contact order was established at that time.

Neither Meyers, who has no prior criminal record in Iowa, nor Nott were in the custody of the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) as of Friday. Hearing and trial dates were not immediately available.

Previous reporting in the T-R also indicates that Nott and Meyers were both candidates for mayor in the 2023 election, which Meyers won with 43 write-in votes, and they previously served on the city council together.

Nott told the T-R he didn’t want to give out too much information before consulting with an attorney, but he did say that the dispute between the two has been a “long, ongoing thing” and that Nott’s home and business have consistently been targeted as nuisance properties by the mayor. Meyers declined to comment on the matter when contacted Friday.

At a recent city council meeting, Meyers censured Laurie Nott and attempted to bar her from voting as a result, and Andrew Nott’s sister Peggy said the mayor threatened to have her arrested at the last council meeting for speaking out of turn.

“He even threatened to have a retired minister arrested for speaking out of turn, all because he refused to call on another citizen who was waiting to ask a question, stating ‘It’s up to my discretion who I allow to speak.’ He is a full on egomaniac and a narcissistic bully,” Peggy Nott said.

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Contact Robert Maharry at 641-753-6611 ext. 255 or rmaharry@timesrepublican.com.