Monarch Board President: Former Directors Failed to Act

Given that the primary purpose of the Monarch Fire Protection District board of directors' meeting Saturday morning is to finish work on future fiscal year budgetary matters, Board President Kim Evans wants to ensure tomorrow's meeting doesn't get too off-track during the public comment portion of the meeting.

Evans released the following statements to Patch this evening, which she indicated will be her opening remarks for Saturday's meeting:

"Because there has been a good deal of misinformation circulated throughout the Monarch community about events of the last few months, I would like to briefly address the politicizing of events within our district," she stated in an email.

1. We are all upset with the news of the death of . Members of a citizen group, which former board member Richard Gans acts as spokesman for, have made personal accusations and intimidating statements against members of the Monarch Board. We will not engage in political attacks related to the untimely and unfortunate death of a former employee. 
2. This board took necessary action to correct violations of the law that a . Those facts are unassailable and not in dispute. The acts that the board of directors repaired were for the good of the district. Mr. Gans has criticized this decision and Director (Robin) Harris has decided to absent himself from the debate, but imagine the outrage if this board would have stood by and done nothing when confronted with a judicial finding that Monarch was maintaining an environment where, and I quote, “the harassment was pervasive enough to create an abusive working environment." The board cannot and will not tolerate an abusive working environment.
3. The issues that this board must now face and the hard decisions that are before us, exist in large part because acts complained of in this lawsuit were not dealt with in 2006 when Mr. Gans was on the board. Plain and simple. It is the former board’s inaction that cost the jobs of four employees and cost the district $1.5 million and a five-year distraction to the business of the district. These former directors (Gans, Terschluse and Sleet) had a duty to address the issues and take corrective action to ensure the safety and proper treatment of our employees. They failed to act.
4. As citizens of the district, you are entitled to disagree with this board, and we invite your opinions as to the many issues that we face. We will not tolerate your insensitivity to the loss of human life by making this a political issue and playing a West County version of assessing blame to human tragedy.
5. We have rescheduled the open meeting from Thursday to today (Saturday, Dec. 10, 2011) and have moved other regularly scheduled duties of the district to allow your comments today. It was erroneously reported that the district canceled the meeting on Thursday so as to avoid your comments.

"Let’s start acting responsibly with the duties and chores that lie before us," she concluded.

Evans stated they would ask that comments be limited to 3 minutes each at Saturday's meeting so that everyone who has remarks will have sufficient time to make their statements.

Monarch Concerned Taxpayers encourage attendance at meeting:

The Home page of the watchdog organization, Monarch Concerned Taxpayers, currently has these opening remarks:  "It is time for all taxpayers of the Monarch Fire Protection District to let our elected officials, especially the ones controlled by the Union, know that enough is enough."

The website further states:  "Please come to the Fire District Headquarters located at 13725 Olive on Saturday at 10:00 a.m. Let Board members Kim Evans and Steve Swyers know that we will no longer tolerate their reign of terror and we demand they either represent us taxpayers or resign."

Issues covered on the Monarch Concerned Taxpayers' website recently have ranged from the district's tax increases, what the group considered extravagant district out-of-pocket expenses, hiring a certain attorney, joining "the state association of union controlled fire departments," and the .

One poster on the Monarch Concerned Taxpayers' website, identified as Roger Weaver, expressed the following concern: "Lets see, chief retires in 30 days, no assistant chief, no deputy chief, fired two batt chiefs. OMG, I hope nothing big happens. Board, you folks are messing with citizens lives. What is a major disaster struck. We are screwed."

Another posted identified online only as "Unbelievable" left the following remarks:  "Just think of all the institutional knowledge that is gone. All the command experience. I hope nothing catches on fire. Because the district is already burning down."

Regarding Goodson's death on Thursday, the following comments came today from poster Tom Smith on the group's website:  "These two directors should be very ashamed for what there unprofessional actions have lead to Chief Goodson taking his life. I would hope that they would do the right thing and resign from there position and District board members. Remember the man above know what you two have done."

Roger Weaver also posted today:  "The Board has Blood on their hands. Your games have cost a life. You are accessory to murder."

Monarch board of director Steve Swyers called many of the statements made by Gans and others to St. Louis media about the district in the past 24 hours "preposterous."

Swyers said they canceled Thursday's Monarch board of directors meeting "out of respect of the tragic moment" the district suffered. "It was important to give the district time to grieve," he said.

Roger Herin, Monarch's fire marshal, said they also lost retired Battalion Chief Ken Murphy to cancer Wednesday night, which added to current stress levels.

Editor's Note: Saturday's open meeting will be held at the Monarch Fire Protection District's headquarters located at 13625 Olive in Chesterfield, beginning at 10 a.m.