By: Lydia Crawley
The Parsons Advocate
Following his attempts at the January 2 Special meeting of the Tucker County Commission to confront the Commission regarding a recent restraining order by Tucker County Animal Shelter Director Stacey Canfield on behalf of her staff, Tucker County Animal Shelter Advisory Board Vice Chair Bob Ekholm addressed the Tucker County Commission at the January 17 open meeting to address concerns regarding the order. The restraining order applied to county property, including the Animal Shelter. The issue of Ekholm’s reappointment to the Animal Shelter Advisory Board was an agenda item at the meeting. “I come before the Commission to resolve an issue about my ability to continue in this position,” Ekholm said.
According to Ekholm, he was served a no trespass notice two days after Christmas. The notice, according to Ekholm was sworn out by Animal Shelter Director Stacey Canfield. “This notice was sworn out by the current Shelter Director Miss Stacey Canfield and not a member of the County Commissioners in their official capacity,” Ekholm said.
Ekholm went on to say that later the same day, he contacted Tucker County Commissioner Fred Davis regarding the situation. Ekholm further said that he had served with Davis on the board for three years. “I asked what prompted this restraining order being issued against me,” Ekholm said. “He said on Tuesday the 26 of December he received a phone call from the recently appointed Shelter Director Canfield, crying hysterically – his words, not mine – and informed him that she and members of her staff felt threatened by my presence at the shelter.”
Ekholm said he wanted to know why Canfield and her staff felt threatened by him and according to Ekholm received no answer, but was informed that it was second such phone call and complaint leveled against him. “The first being a month earlier in November,” Ekholm said. “I asked him about this first call not being brought to my attention and the matter being handled then and he said he tried but was unable to.”
According to Ekholm, Davis had instructed Canfield to consult the Prosecuting Attorney regarding guidance on the issue. Ekholm said he has been unsuccessful in speaking with the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office regarding the situation. “As of today, I have still not been able to schedule a meeting with the Prosecuting Attorney or you, the Commission,” Ekholm said. “Even though we did meet unofficially in your offices on January 2nd when you refused to discuss this with me.”
The January 2 meeting referred to by Ekholm was a special session of the Commission that legislative law requires each year to establish holiday dates, days off and the like, as well as the election of the Commission President for the year. “I would like to address one of your issues that you have in your statement,” Tucker County Commission President Mike Rosenau said. “Is where you were to the last meeting and I appreciate you coming to any meeting that is open to the public, but it was a special meeting for the appointment of the presidency and to direct the for the upcoming year the holidays, the days off and all of that.”
Rosenau also informed Ekholm that he was encouraged at the Special Meeting to attend the open meeting currently in session. “So we advised you at that time that we have a meeting today,” Rosenau said. “So we encouraged you to come to this meeting to voice your concern. Its not like we just said, ‘No, Bob, you’re not welcome here today.’”
Ekholm refuted Rosenau’s claim and said that he was ignored by Rosenau and it was Commissioner Davis who spoke to him following the January 2 meeting, an accusation that Rosenau denied. “Bob, I’m not arguing with you today,” Rosenau said. “This is what I’m telling you today. You’re here today at the open meeting and I’m glad that you are.”
Ekholm also quoted passages from the Tucker County Employee Handbook and asserted that volunteer board members were entitled to the same dispute procedures as County employees. “I would assume these same conditions would be afforded to the appointed members of any advisory or authority board,” Ekholm said. “If not, why would any of us volunteers even consider to be on a board? That opportunity of a discussion was not extended to me.”
Ekholm further stated that he had served on the Advisory Board longer than Canfield had been Director. “I have been a volunteer at the Shelter a longer time than the current Director has been employed there,” Ekholm said.
Ekholm stated that while willing to escalate the matter to the next level, he did not look forward to the prospect. “I am not looking forward to going to the next level with this situation, whatever it might be,” Ekholm said. “But I feel my name, reputation and honor has been impugned without an opportunity to find out why.”
Ekholm provided the Commission with a statement before concluding his open address. “You told me at that meeting that we had that the Advisory Board was not to discuss matters with the Director, but to bring them to your attention and you would handle them,” Ekholm said. “So, that being the case, I’d like to give you that.”
Following acknowledgment of three people, one of whom was Ekholm, who sought appointment to the Animal Shelter Advisory Board and the hearing of recommendations for the appointments, the County Commission voted unanimously to appoint Vickie Smith and Donna Stiles to the Animal Shelter Advisory Board. Following the appointment, Ekholm addressed the Commissioners from his seat in the audience with the demand that his reappointment be directly addressed. “Point of Order,” Ekholm said. “There’s another person, my name to reappointment to the Animal Shelter, according to the published agenda.”
Rosenau said that the motion had already been made regarding the filling of the two available seats. The vote came after all three names were listed and recommendations from the Commission were given, according to Rosenau. “Point of Order,” Rosenau said. “It is and the Commissioners see it on their agenda and the motion was made to (appoint) two out of three. There are two vacancies. Vickie Smith and Donna Stiles was the motion on the floor to appoint those two for three year terms.”
Ekholm continued to address the Commission from the audience regarding the issue and was insistent that his appointment had not been addressed. “This was a reappointment,” Ekholm said. “This was from last meeting. It was a tabled issue.”
In a response to Ekholm’s repeated disruption of the proceedings, Rosenau made a motion to not appoint Ekholm to the Animal Shelter Advisory Board. “I make a motion that we do not put Bob Ekholm on the Animal Shelter Advisory Board,” Rosenau said. The motion was approved unanimously by the Commission.
The next meeting of the Tucker County Commission will be held Wednesday, February 14 at 9 a.m. at the Tucker County Courthouse Old Meeting Room located in the Tucker County Courthouse in Parsons.