Published: December 08, 2009 02:12 pm      

St. Elmo aldermen walk out over chief firing

ST. ELMO — The St. Elmo City Council meeting Monday was cut short when three members walked out in the middle of the meeting.

Aldermen Jayson Porter, Lloyd Carson and Theresa Riley walked out after the mayor refused to reinstate the police chief, whom he terminated a month ago.

The aldermen were followed by half of the crowd who filled the Phillips building. Many yelled at the mayor as they walked out the door.

Porter placed the issue of reinstatement on the meeting’s agenda.

“I thought I’d be nice and put that on the agenda, so mistakes can be corrected tonight, and lawsuits avoided,” he said.

Porter believed members had a chance to think about the vote since the last special meeting Nov. 12 when former police Chief Ken Thomason’s termination was upheld by a tie vote of 3-3. Four votes were needed to overturn it, but one of the members abstained. Porter said Monday night was a chance to “right a wrong.”

Thomason also was among the audience Monday night.

Carson presented Mayor Larry Tish with a petition signed by 144 residents requesting Tish reappoint Thomason as chief. The petition also states “We further request that the mayor and city council work together to heal the division within the community and unite to further the common good and development of the city.”

After looking over the petition for a few minutes, Tish said he would take it under advisement and thanked everyone who signed it. He also said the message included in the wording of the petition was good. However, he declined to reverse his decision.

“At this time, I’m not ready to appoint a permanent replacement.” he said.

Porter then asked Tish as he did at the Nov. 12 meeting what special policies Thomason did not implement that warranted termination.

“You can meet with me, and we can talk about it,” Tish responded.

After the aldermen walked out, city Treasurer Mary Magnus reminded the remaining members a quorum was needed to continue and certain business had to be taken care of this month, such as the tax levy.

Magnus was unsuccessful in trying to sway any of the aldermen who left to come back in and finish the meeting, and without the needed quorum to that would allow for action to be taken on agenda items, the meeting was adjourned.

Earlier in the meeting, Tish was questioned how interim Police Chief Rob Schukar is qualified for the position.

While Schukar has experience working for the Department of Corrections at the Vandalia Correctional Center, he has not been a police officer since 1992 when he worked for Vandalia Police Department.

Tish said it was Schukar’s administrative experience as a captain at the prison and his 13 years of experience as a police officer that qualifies him for the position. Tish also asserted the position is only temporary and proceedings are underway to find a permanent replacement.

Local resident David Maxey disagreed.

“A corrections officer is not the same as a police officer. I have no qualms with Rob. I’ve known him forever. At one time, he was qualified. He’s not now,” he said, adding the position requires more than administrative experience and whoever fills the position is an “officer first.”

As Tish was further questioned on the matter, he admitted Schukar is not pulling anybody over at this time or allowed to carry a weapon, but noted Schukar is scheduled for a firearm recertification class next week.

“No one has a problem with this?” Maxey asked the council.

“No one knew about it,” answered Carson to applauds.

Another member of the audience questioned what would happen if a situation like an armed robbery occurred that required shooting a firearm, while another audience member commented the city hasn’t had 24-hour police protection as Tish promised in his campaign.

“Throughout the years, there have been plenty of times when no one was on duty,” said Tish.

Tish also said he was confident that with other city officers on call, the city would be able to get such a situation under control.

None of the three aldermen who walked out of the meeting made a motion to vote on the reinstatement on Thomason. However, the discussion indicated the vote would have likely ended in a similar manner as the first.

In other business, the council:

• Canceled the city’s annual Christmas party due to lack of participation.

• Tabled a proposal to prepare bid specifications for city hall from HLR of Springfield.

Cathy Thoele can be reached at 217-347-7151 ext. 126 or cathy.thoele@effinghamdailynews.com.