Twice elected Carthage Mayor must pay for his own attorney as impeachment proceedings begin
CARTHAGE, Mo. – The controversy continues in Carthage today (5/17) as city council members introduce a resolution to impeach Mayor Dan Rife.
The special council meeting was designed to set the stage to impeach Carthage Mayor Dan Rife but instead, ended with a veto of a “Substitute Resolution.”
Seven Carthage council members voted to approve a Substitute Bill of Impeachment with one lone vote opposing the resolution.
The Substitute Bill of Impeachment removed language that was aimed at suspending the mayor ahead of the impeachment hearing.
Mayor Rife has hired attorney Christopher Thornton to represent him in the proceedings. Thornton told the council that Mayor Rife was vetoing the resolution, citing the mayor’s authority to veto anything that deals with city finances.
A portion of the Bill of Impeachment presented today included the hiring of another attorney who would serve as the judge during the proceedings.
That attorney comes at a cost of $250 per hour for the services of Timothy A. Engelmeyer, and $125 per hour for his travel expenses.
These costs would be in addition to the $250 per hour the council has already approved to pay Paul Martin. He is the attorney who will prosecute the mayor in the impeachment trial.
Both Thornton and Martin were at today’s council meeting and spoke to the council about how to proceed.
Thornton and Martin discussed the original Bill of Impeachment and Thornton advised Martin that he would take legal action against the council if it attempted to suspend the mayor prior to the official impeachment trial.
Martin told the council he agreed they did not want a protracted legal fight that would postpone the impeachment, thus submitting the “Substitution Resolution.”
Because Mayor Rife vetoed the resolution, procedure dictates the council hold another special meeting to attempt an override of the veto. That meeting will be held on Monday, May 20, at 6:30 pm in council chambers.
Council woman Lori Leece was absent from today’s meeting because she was with her husband at the Mayo Clinic. Leece made a special trip home to attend Tuesday night’s council session, but told the council she had to return to be with her husband.
Today was also the first meeting since the April 2nd election when council members did not discuss City Administrator, Greg Dagnan. Nor did they tell him he wasn’t a city employee.
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