Euclid's Reality Star, Polyamorist Councilman Resides in Florida
Marcus Epps is currently appearing on the reality show "Seeking Sister Wife." He's been linked to domestic violence, tax evasion and a shooting. He's also the Councilman of Euclid's Third Ward.
I went to Bingo Bikes, a new bike shop on the southwest corner of Thurman and Parsons Avenues, searching for a new (read: used) road bike yesterday.
The 13-miles-per-hour that my Raleigh SC30 can produce during sprints is fine for when I’m bopping around the neighborhood. It’s not as fun when you’re trying to travel more than 25 miles at a time.
The three bikes under consideration range from $250 to $380 (pre-haggle prices, obviously). I’m throwing a 48-hour bike blowout sale on annual subscriptions, with all proceeds going to the purchase of the bike. (Proof of receipt on Friday in the weekly The Rooster in Review dispatch.)
That means you can join the fabled President Xi Jinping’s Patriots Caucus for $40.19 a year instead of the regular $59.99 price. And remember, not all of that money goes into my pocket.
If the subscriptions meet or surpass $250, I will unlock this year’s most popular dispatch for the good of the streets:
That means not only will you sustain independent political media and help purchase a used bicycle, but you will also spread the truth about Columbus’ tyrannical and egomaniacal ice cream queen.
Jeni especially doesn’t want you to subscribe to The Rooster!
As a token of my appreciation, here’s a doozy of Ohio political depravity.
I do not watch reality television, and unfortunately, I am equally unfamiliar with Euclid politics.
Due to the lack of area expertise, this tip baffled me:
The only Marcus Epps that I know plays safety for the Philadelphia Eagles. He’s from California and went to Wyoming University. That would indeed be a story if he also moonlit as a councilman in Euclid, Ohio.
It wasn’t that Marcus Epps—but the story is even wilder than I would have expected, even by the notoriously scandalous standards of The Rooster.
I was thinking of the wrong Marcus Epps. Our Marcus Epps is a Euclid councilman who appeared on the newest season of TLC’s Seeking Sister Wife.
From the show’s Wikipedia:
Seeking Sister Wife is an American reality television show on TLC that follows polygamous families, predominantly centered around the topic of looking for another wife to add to the family, or an already added new wife adjusting to the family.
I have no problem with that. If you can convince that many women to be involved with you and everyone is consenting adults, more power to you, brother.
Epps joined the show with his wife and girlfriend, searching for another woman to join the throuple.
From Brianna Sainez of intouchweekly.com:
Marcus met Taryn when he was in college, and following their marriage, she explained, “Marcus was doing things that a married man probably shouldn’t do.”
“It was not an open relationship. There was not an understanding that he should’ve been able to go out and have other women,” she continued. After Taryn moved out with their daughter, Marcus got engaged to his new flame, India.
A year later, Taryn and Marcus began rekindling their relationship. “So, when Marcus brought up the idea of polygamy to me, I felt it kind of made sense for us,” Taryn told producers, as she explained she allowed Marcus to continue his relationship with India. “I also really like the fact that I can have a relationship and love another person, without it being, like, a relationship that threatens my marriage with you.”
Epps must have the biggest penis in the history of state politics. Most politicians have to spin a web of lies to obtain a situation like that.
As you might imagine, it’s a topic of discussion for a man that’s a city councilman in Euclid that resides in Orlando, Florida, most of the time:
Also from In Touch (bold font mine):
“Living a polygamous lifestyle affects my profession quite a bit,” he explained in a June 2022 confessional. “One of the hardest parts for us was the idea that I’m some deviant or something is wrong with me by living this lifestyle. But I’m committed.” Despite being an elected official in Ohio, Marcus continues to live in Florida with the rest of his family.
The last sentence piqued my interest. I couldn’t find Epps’ council salary, but Euclid paid councilpersons $10,999 per year as recently as 2017:
Epps, a registered Democrat, ran for Mayor of Euclid in 2015 and lost. In 2019, he returned as a city council candidate.
Here’s what he told the Euclid News Herald about why voters should elect him:
Voters should elect me, because I have no previous relationships that will cause me to put anything before the best interest of the residents in our community. I have a track record of fighting for what’s important to Euclid voters.
Fair enough, although in that candidate profile, Epps claimed to have three children, and earlier this year on Instagram Live, he said he had “more than 10.”
So, he lied about his kids unless he went on a sex spree with multiple women in the last two years, which probably can’t be ruled out when talking about the biggest penis in state politics.
Epps was elected despite being arrested in 2008 and pleading “no contest” to domestic violence charges.
According to property and voting records, Epps owns and lists his residence in half of a duplex at 25580 Tungsten Rd, Euclid, OH, 44132.
His domicile looked like this as of June 2022:
If that house looks inhabitable to you, it’s because it is. The house suffered burn damage after a kitchen fire in March 2021, a fact I learned in an article from March 2022 about Epps having back taxes with the city he serves.
From Ed Gallek and Peggy Gallek of fox8.com in March 2022:
Of that group, we noticed Euclid Councilman Marcus Epps owing the most with more than $12,000. We caught up with him before a council meeting to explain.
“I’ll just explain that briefly by saying, I’m not sure if you’re aware, but in March my house burned down. So it’s just been a struggle obviously for our family,” Epps said.
But, county records show Epps has not paid any property taxes since 2019, long before the house fire. Epps insists he has made payments although the county tells us there’s no record of that.
“I’m saying we’ve made payments since 2019,” Epps said.
A friend started a GoFundMe to help repay the damages. The effort raised roughly $2,418 of the $10,000 goal.
Did any of that go to the repairs? Not according to an article where Epps pled “No contest” after being charged with failure to repair damages despite a tenant continuing to live in the other half.
By Tiarra Braddock in January 2022:
Since then, it’s been causing trouble for Teteree Hines, who lives in the other half of the duplex.
“I wish he would come and clean up,” said Hines.
Since the fire, the house has been deemed a hazard and no one has been able to live in it.
“It smells really bad. Inside, it’s smelling. Outside, it’s smelling. It’s really high,” said Hines.
Well, maybe the GoFundMe only went to fixing Epps’ half of the complex.
It’s worth noting that as of this writing, Epps is still registered to vote at that address though he hasn’t voted since November of 2020.
March 2021 was a tumultuous month for the Councilman. After a fire gutted his residence, he was linked to a shooting that killed a young mother at an illicit after-hours establishment.
From Hannah Catlett and Misty Stiver of cleveland19.com [sic]:
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - 19 Investigates uncovered a paper trail connecting Euclid City Councilman to an “illegal establishment” police say has been operating for years in Cleveland.
The city leader was caught on camera at the “known after-hours club” off Woodhill Road the night of an unsolved murder in October.
19 News told you when a young mother was shot and killed at the club in October.
We obtained video of Euclid City Councilman Marcus Epps carrying another shooting victim out of the illegal night club that night.
You’re a convicted domestic abuser. You don’t pay taxes. Your house goes up in flames under mysterious circumstances. You’re linked to a fatal shooting of a young mother at an illegal night spot.
The police will have some questions for you, especially when they realize you did all that as a city councilman.
From Avery Williams and Brian Duffy of cleveland19.com in June 2021:
EUCLID, Ohio (WOIO) - Police searched a home owned by a Euclid City Councilperson Thursday morning.
It happened around 8 a.m. at 25580 Tungsten Road. Court records show the home is owned by Marcus Epps.
According to Euclid Fire Department Chief Chris Haddock, the search warrant was issued in connection with a house fire and housing code violations.
[…]
Epps said that he believes that the city pursued the warrant as a political ploy to put pressure on him to resign from council due to his push for body cameras for the police officers in the department.
Prosecutors, however, never charged Epps with a crime, which cleared his way to appear on Seeking Sister Wife this summer.
The Epps family's stay in Orlando doesn’t appear to be temporary, either. According to Asa Hawks of starcasm.com, Epps moved from the rental home in Orlando used during the filming of Seeking Sister Wife to a new house with an in-ground pool in the back.
He is currently planning a wedding with his newest girlfriend, India, in what is most likely a ploy to earn a spot on Season Five of Seeking Sister Wife.
From a Starcasm commenter in July:
NUMBER ONE: Marcus agreed to marry India as part of a deal that would allow him a little more leeway in regards to having sex with women he is dating. It’s clear from watching the current season that India, despite being in a polygamous relationship, still has some jealousy issues. Perhaps the promise of becoming THE official Mrs. Epps was enough to extinguish the jealousy fires?
NUMBER TWO: The Epps family is OBVIOUSLY enjoying their time in the spotlight while appearing on the show. It would be a logical assumption that having a wedding would be part of their sales pitch to TLC to return for another season. Reality show producers LOVE an extravagant wedding!
Unless Epps is removed from office, resigns, or refuses to run for re-election, he’s next in front of Euclid voters in 2023.
THOSE WMDs. The best way to add protein to your next bowl… Planes have nothing on birds… I smuggled my laptop past the Taliban to write this story… Report: Post-9/11 military most aggressive in history… Here’s how much to ride a week to keep your brain nine years younger.