Legal bills mount for Red Bud residents
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[On the eve of Election Day 2008 the importance of elections was brought home to residents of Red Bud, as their City Council voted to appropriate more of the citizens' money for their benefit.
What actually happened was that the council, as anticipated, voted 6-2 Monday to override Mayor Ken Mueller's October 6 veto of their motion to retain the services of an outside law firm in connection with a lawsuit filed against the city by the city's police chief.
When vetoing the motion, Mueller called it "a waste of money." That's because the city has legal representation provided by the city's insurance. But, Aldermen Dennis Braun, Don Glasscock, Bill Hanebutt, Clarence Nail, Scott Schubert, and Dave Young believe it's insufficient and have hired the St. Louis firm of Doster, Guin, James, Ullom, Beson, and Mundorf at $150 per hour.
Bernie Mundorf has already billed them $4,500 for work he has done in connection with the case. In addition to overriding Mueller's veto, the aldermen passed a motion for the city to pay this existing bill and all future bills from Mundorf for work on the lawsuit.
Mueller said ensuing legal bills could easily double the amount already owed to the outside firm.
The aldermen are being sued by Chief of Police James Creighton after they voted to stop his salary and benefits.
They took this action in an apparent vendetta after Mueller named Creighton chief on a temporary basis. State statutes and city codes allow a mayor to fill a vacant position with a temporary appointment if a city council refuses to confirm a mayoral appointment.
A dispute began when Mueller, upon being elected mayor decided against reappointing then Chief Dan Brotz. Instead Mueller named Don McKinney to the position. The council refused to confirm and Mueller appointed McKinney on a temporary basis. Meanwhile, the council unilaterally appointed and confirmed Brotz to a newly created position of assistant police chief at a salary identical to that budgeted for the chief.
After four days, McKinney quit citing interference from Brotz and lack of support from the council.
Mueller then appointed Creighton. Again, confirmation was denied by a 6-2 vote of the council. After Mueller appointed Creighton on a temporary basis, the council passed an ordinance limiting temporary appointments to a term of 60 days and made it retroactive to cover Creighton.
Mueller also vetoed that ordinance claiming it would make it impossible to find anyone who would accept a position under such conditions and would likely lead to litigation.
After overriding that veto, the council, unable to fire Creighton, used their power over the city's purse strings to cut off his pay.
Now the matter will be settled in the Randolph County Courthouse. Creighton's suit is scheduled to be tried on November12.
And, no matter who wins, the citizens of Red Bud stand to lose.