New Carthage council seeks to fire city manager, impeach mayor
Apr. 10—CARTHAGE, Mo. — Newly elected members of the Carthage City Council immediately launched an effort Tuesday night to dismantle the city's administrative team, but they were preempted by provisions of the city charter. They will try again at a special meeting at 6:30 p.m. Thursday in the City Council chambers at City Hall, 326 Grant St.
The effort to fire city administrator Greg Dagnan and to impeach Mayor Dan Rife followed the April 2 election. The council did return a vote of no confidence in the mayor Tuesday night.
Those actions were spurred by a number of recent disputes, including between city officials and directors and employees of the city-owned Carthage Water & Electric Plant over a salary study and suspension of the directors by a past City Council, and the 2022 resignation of and subsequent filing of criminal charges against former parks director Mark Peterson.
Peterson, 55, waived a probable-cause hearing Monday on charges that he stole more than $142,000 in city funds when he was parks director. He faces three counts of felony stealing and two counts of money laundering in Jasper County Circuit Court. A special judge assigned to the case, Lawrence County Judge Matthew Kasper, ordered Peterson bound over for trial on the charges. He also was charged in February with a misdemeanor of fleeing the scene of noninjury car accident. A witness told police Peterson backed into a pickup truck.
During the Tuesday meeting, winners of the April 2 election were sworn into office. They are Derek Peterson, the son of Mark Peterson, who defeated Ward 1 incumbent Brandi Ensor; Dustin Edge, who replaced Ward 3 incumbent Robin Blair; Jana Hunter Schramm, who took the seat that had been held by Ward 5 incumbent Mark Elliff; Tom Barlow, the sole candidate for Ward 4; and Loretta "Lori" Leece, who was unopposed in Ward 2.
One incumbent, David Armstrong of Ward 2, resigned from the council after the election, and his resignation was accepted Tuesday night.
Current council members who were not subject to reelection are Terri Heckmaster, Ward 3; Chris Taylor, Ward 1; Alan Snow, Ward 4; and Tiffany Cossey, Ward 5.
Their first official action after the new members were seated was to approve a motion to hold a closed session on personnel, proposed by Snow.
The mayor said there was no notice of an executive session posted on the agenda. Some council members said there was such a posting. A motion then was made to amend the agenda to include a closed session for personnel. That was approved, and the council moved to a closed session at 7:36 p.m., returning at 7:45 p.m.
After the panel reconvened, a motion was made to terminate Dagnan, have him turn over all city property and appoint Assistant City Administrator Traci Cox to serve as interim administrator. Rife said that was an inappropriate motion "and it won't be moving forward." Cossey asked why it was inappropriate and asked what ordinance sets out the procedure.
"We have processes and policies that you must follow," Rife responded.
Cossey argued that the city administrator serves at the pleasure of the council.
City attorney Nate Dally added that he serves with approval of the council and the mayor.
Cossey contended if there is a majority approval of the council, mayoral approval is not required. Dally replied that the mayor's approval is required along with a majority of the council. She then countered that council approval is required for him to continue to serve as city administrator but not for termination or accepting a resignation.
The mayor said there is due process involved in removing an officer of the city and that could not be completed with one motion during a meeting.
When Cossey said city officials should have been ready for the termination effort because they knew it was coming, the city attorney said he would have to review the city's policies and procedures for that because it had not been done in a while. Some members of the audience jeered and laughed.
The mayor called for composure or said he would clear the room.
A number of other motions were made by Cossey, which all were blocked by procedural issues, except she did win a vote of no confidence in the mayor.
