By Terry Spradley
St. John News – September 3, 2013
For the second time in as many weeks, over 40 residents and voters forced county commissioners to relocate the weekly meeting so they could voice their displeasure with actions taken by elected officials.
Seven days after telling residents they had put to rest the issues between a couple county commissioners and the EMS director, the council heard allegations of inappropriate behavior.
EMT Brenda Grabast stood in front of a crowd of her peers describing a meeting between herself and commissioner Kurt Fairchild, in which she alleges Fairchild discussed her department head’s behavior and reasons for calling director Steve Moody a liar.
Grabast stated, commissioner Fairchild had visited her at her place of business, (outside her EMS job,) telling her that Doyle Wilson had called commissioner Shane Stimatze the night before to state Moody was being dishonest because in the county minutes he was quoted as having said he called Wilson to apologize and explain the billing. Wilson said somebody from the department called him not Moody.
“I said okay,” she said. “And he (Fairchild) goes, ‘That’s not true. He did not contact Doyle Wilson, Wilson contacted Shane last night and said Misty (Blakeslee) contacted him, he did not contact him.”
Fairchild interrupted her stating “That was all new information.”
The county minutes referred to were found to be in error and Moody had actually said, “We contacted Wilson.”
Grabast continued stating that she thought they had agreed at the previous meeting to drop the issue.
“I thought we were going to do like Leon (Dunn) said and wipe the slate clean and move forward,” she said. “And he said, ‘And just forget all this happened?’ I said yes just forget it and move forward.”
Grabast also said Fairchild asked her not to tell Moody that Wilson planned on attending the next meeting to confront Moody with the allegations, and asked her not to tell Moody about that.
“I sat and stewed on that,” she said. “If we were truly going to move forward, that’s not what was happening.”
When asked by reporters how Fairchild knew Wilson had called Stimatze, Fairchild responded that a resident of Macksville had called to tell him that.
With only three commissioners on the board meetings or conversations outside an official meeting by any two commissioners constitutes a violation of Kansas Open Meetings Act.
Other members of the audience took turns at he microphone voicing their continued displeasure with the commissioners’ actions.
“Folks have come to talk to me, (about this,)” said St. John city council member Mark Bryant. “They are very displeased at what is going on here. Gentleman, what is going on is wrong in my opinion and many people’s opinions. Remember one thing gentleman, as public servants we work for them. And come next election I expect to see some of you gone.”
Bryant’s last remark drew a round of applause from most of the audience.
Stafford County farmer, Leon Dunn addressed the commission at the previous meeting, took the podium again.
“I am very disappointed in our commissioners,” he said. “I thought we had responsible people sitting in leadership chairs that knew how to make correct decisions.”
Dunn went on to tell how after last week’s meeting the commissioners all agreed to wipe the slate clean and move on.
“I said can you commissioners live by this decision, (to move forward) and all three of them said ‘Yes’” Dunn said. “When the meeting was over, I shook each one of their hands and said you now will go forward, and each of them said ‘Yes.’”
Moody gave a prepared speech stating how the “roller coaster ride” they had been on was detrimental to his wife, himself and the department he manages.
At the end of Moody’s speech he again tendered his resignation from the position, a statement that was echoed by his wife Rosie, who was sitting in the audience.
After two executive sessions, one that included Leon Dunn, the commissioners again agreed not to accept Moody’s resignation.
Moody was given a week’s vacation to decide whether he would stay in his position or not. Commissioners also agreed to advertise for a full time administrative assistant for the EMS department.
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