Roseland changed from a sleepy little town few knew about to a spot on the map that lit up around the globe.

At the center of much of the controversy were David and Dorothy Snyder, the now infamous husband and wife team who, until recently, made up the majority of a three person town council.

Much of what you heard when they were on the council were quick soundbytes involving the drama.

Now that the Snyders are off the council, I decided to sit down with them to talk about their lives before, during, and after the Roseland years.

It was the video seen around the world--literally.

WNDU cameras captured the now infamous video of then-town councilman David Snyder being pushed through the doors at town hall, and then struck by Marshal Jack Tiller.

Snyder had been asked to leave the September 14th council meeting.

Our video has been viewed worldwide, and has had over 200,000 hits at WNDU.com.

Snyder was treated at the hospital and promptly transported to jail.

Prosecutor Mike Dvorak presented the case to a grand jury. They did not return an indictment.

The Snyders, however, have filed a lawsuit against the town of Roseland and Jack Tiller.

But David and Dorothy say they do not want to be defined by the various rumbles in Roseland during the three years the husband and wife team served on the council.

I recently sat down with the Snyders to learn some things we did not know about them.

They were both born in Michiana.

“I'm from Roseland originally,” said David. “I was born in Memorial Hospital, but my folks’ home was in Roseland. I was raised there the first six years of my life before my dad moved away.”

“I was actually born at Memorial Hospital, but west of South Bend,” Dorothy told me. “I went to German Township School, and I graduated from LaSalle. I didn't move to Roseland until 1986.”

Visitors to the Ice Box skating rink may recognize some of Dorothy's artwork.

“It's an eight foot by 12 foot. I painted that when I was right out of high school,” she proudly explained. “My first job was working in the snack shop there.”

David's father was a minister, so they frequently moved around.

“My dad is a Lutheran minister. It's somewhat like an army brat--a new church every so many years, and that's what he ended up doing.”

I asked him why he decided to come back to Roseland.

“I like this area; I like the Michiana area. I like the people.”

In spite of all the drama, the Snyders say they are well received by most in Roseland.

“The strange thing is, the most unpleasant people who come to the town hall don't live in Roseland. They have some kind of connection with a business in Roseland,” said Dorothy. “Most of the people in Roseland are good people.”

And it was politics that brought the Snyders together, as I learned when I asked what attracted them to one another.

“That's a loaded question,” David said, jokingly. “How’re you going to answer that?”

Dorothy laughed, “Actually, he stood up for me and my little dog.”

“I would go to the town hall in the evening, especially when there was not a meeting, and I would take him with me,” remembered Dorothy. “There were several people who said, ‘Oh that dog shouldn't be in the building.’ And so David said, ‘Well, it's like her kid, you know?’”

David attributes his interest in public office to one certain individual.

“Dorothy. I had no deep desire to run. I like to help people, and I won't go into the whole story, but she asked me and asked me and I finally relented and said ‘Yes,’ and I'm glad I did."

“I was elected as the Democratic Precinct Committee Woman in Roseland,” Dorothy said, “so that's why it was my job to ask people to fill the ballot. I knew David’s parents; they lived across the street from me. So I said, ‘You would make a good candidate for town council.’”

They claim no one was interested in Roseland until the South Bend Tribune wrote an article about their marriage.

I asked them if they had anticipated the uproar that could come about from having a married couple on a three person council.

“You look at both sides of it, and you think, ‘Yeah, maybe it doesn't look good,’ but Dorothy and I have always argued and debated before we were married, and people who came to council meetings saw it still ongoing after we were married.”

David says he wanted a five-person council, which would have saved them and Roseland a lot of grief.

I also asked them if they expected the name-calling, arrests, and lawsuits of which they would eventually become the focus.

“No way,” answered David. “How can you envision this happening? How can you envision such animosity from such a small group of people?”

After the constant barrage of criticism they received, one may wonder why they did not leave sooner.

“There were times when you would wonder, ‘Why am I doing this? Why don't I resign?’” explained David. “You asked for the responsibility; It was given to you through voting, so you don't just walk away from it.”

And the Snyders say they did a lot of positive things in office that were overshadowed by the infighting.

“I think people have got to see what we did in those three years we were working together,” David said. “The Redevelopment Commission, the TIF district, other things that are up and going. The new Holiday Inn Express, the housing of 58 condominiums.”

“The comprehensive plan,” added Dorothy.

“The comprehensive master plan, which is incredible. The town has gone from about 22 million assessed value to 60 million,” said David proudly.

He is now back in real estate, and Dorothy works full time at Notre Dame's Hesburgh Library. She generally deals with old books, but is now planning a new one with David.

“[I am] trying to get some of the journaling of what did happen in Roseland. We are writing a book,” Dorothy told us. “We're calling it The Injured Democracy.”

The rumble I mentioned earlier was not the only one in Roseland in 2007.

David Snyder still faces charges for allegedly assaulting and threatening to kill fellow councilman Ted Penn last January.

No trial date has been set.

I will talk to the Snyders about that Thursday, and ask David if he fears going to jail.

I will also find out whether they plan to remain in Roseland.

Part 2 of The Snyders Speak Out will air Thursday evening at 11:00.