Arnold Employee Files Harassment Complaint Against Councilman
Susie Boone, the city's parks and recreation director, claims that Ward 4 Councilman Ken Moss has harassed her for more than two years, Arnold's city attorney says.
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Susie Boone, Arnold's parks and recreation director, has gone public alleging Ward 4 Councilman Ken Moss has harassed her for more than two years, according to Arnold City Attorney Bob Sweeney.
Boone recently filed a complaint with the Missouri Commission on Human Rights regarding the matter, Sweeney told Patch. Matt Unrein, Arnold's former city administrator, received Boone's first memo on the issue in 2010.
The city council was informed of the complaint at a Sept. 20 closed council session, according to an Oct. 11 article in the Arnold-Imperial Leader. The harassment began after Moss' sister was fired from the parks and recreation department in 2010, Sweeney told the weekly newspaper. Moss denied the allegations.
Both Boone and Moss declined to comment on the issue, deferring Patch to their attorneys — respectively, Sweeney and Chet Pleban, a St. Louis County attorney. Robert Shockey, the city's police chief and acting city administrator, also declined comment on the matter.
Ward 1 Councilwoman Doris Borgelt took issue with the Sept. 20 closed session at the city's Oct. 4 meeting saying that it was an attempt to oust a fellow city council member. And in an unprecedented move, the council voted 5-to-3 against going into a closed session meeting on Oct. 4, claiming it was uninformed as to what was to be discussed.
Sweeney said the council has three options: it could do nothing; it could censure Moss, which is essentially a warning; or it could vote to draft a bill of impeachment against Moss.
"Drafting a bill of impeachment would be a dramatic, drastic decision, which would require require the council to hold a trial and vote on impeachment," Sweeney told Patch.
Meanwhile, the city has retained a St. Louis County firm to investigate the allegations, Sweeney said. The investigation is expected to be complete by the end of the month.
"As I understand it, the investigation is progressing on schedule," Sweeney said. "I suspect it will be made public since it in is regards to a public official elected to office."
Stay tuned to Patch. We'll will provide further updates as soon as they become available.
Doris Borgelt
7:46 am on Friday, October 19, 2012
Wait a minute!!!! Did Ms. Boone personally hire Mr. Sweeney? Is she paying his salary? Or is the city paying Mr. Sweeney's salary? It appears, as he was sitting in the city attorney's chair last night, that he is currently representing the city. He cannot serve two masters.
What discriminatory decision was made? Was Ms. Boone fired, demoted or was her pay cut? It would probably be a good idea to go to the Missouri Commission's site and evaluate the steps needed to file a complaint here: http://www.labor.mo.gov/mohumanrights/File_Complaint/
When finished, look at the process required to actually file a complaint. The parties are invited to mediate or settle. Note that the MCHR is the one who does the investigation and makes a determination on whether or not there have been any discriminatory practices. For some reason, it appears that the cart has been put before the horse on this one.
Matt Hay
10:09 am on Friday, October 19, 2012
Wait, so Sweeney is representing Ms. Boone as the Complainant, as well as representing the City (who would be the respondent), while and Ken Moss has retained his own legal counsel? Ken is a representative of the City, though not an employee. I am having trouble wrapping my head around this as it seems a blatant conflict as any discrimination suit would list the City as well as Ken Moss as respondents.
So, why is this different than any other employee claim in that the employee would engage their own separate counsel and lay claim against the City, and Sweeney would represent the City, and individual Council Members retain their own personal Counsel additionally, if desired? I guess if one is the conductor of the Frisco Pacific Political Railroad, there is no need to worry about the correct, legal, and ethical way to do things. There were very good reasons why Mr. Sweeney was removed from his position in 2009, looks like others are realizing that as well. Ironically, perhaps the Aesop fable about the Boy and the Asp was not too far off the mark.
Mary Colantone
11:16 am on Friday, October 19, 2012
I think you all need a lesson in procedures and policies; you seem to fight like teenage bullies. Grow up and if you can't handle the job resign! I just moved to Arnold and you make me sick with all the childish bickering.
Doris Borgelt
12:25 pm on Friday, October 19, 2012
If meetings were being conducted properly, that might be help! There is a set of rules, unfortunately for many years, they have not been followed. Consequently, things have been done, that probably shouldn't and things haven't been done that probably should. Once that is all hammered out, proper protocol and the law are being followed, no more problems should arise and things should start flowing smoothly.