Video- Kim Seavy to Joplin City Council: You people disgust me

Kim Seavy begins shouting at the Joplin City Council at about the 30-minute mark in this video.

Mark Rohr: I did not beat my wife

A December 29, 2012, report of a domestic disturbance at former Joplin City Manager Mark Rohr's home appears to be one of the items explored in the nine pages of investigator Tom Loraine's report that not have been revealed to the public.

That call is explored in an article by reporter Debby Woodin posted late last night on the Joplin Globe website:

The domestic disturbance call was made to police at 2:35 p.m. on the Saturday in 2012. The police responded to what an officer described in the report as a “possible physical disturbance.”

One of Rohr’s stepdaughters had called the police, saying Rohr and her mother were arguing and her mother yelled to call 911.

Police reported that Rohr’s wife, Lois, told them that she and Rohr had argued. She is quoted in the report as telling police “It was stupid, we were yelling and I screamed ‘Call 911’ out of anger.” She told the police there was no violence, the report states. Police officers noted that they saw no marks to indicate that she had been hit.

An officer took Rohr aside and spoke with him. Rohr told the officer that one child in the house had hit a younger child, leaving a mark on the younger child’s back. “Mark got onto his stepson, and his wife got mad at Mark. Mark and Lois began verbally arguing,” report reads. It also states that Rohr said he did not hit his wife.

The officers said they then spoke more to Rohr’s wife. She told them “she felt stupid for what she had done due to Mark’s job,” the report reads. “Lois insisted nothing physical happened and no threats were made.”

The officers asked to look at the young son’s back and noted a “small, red mark.” The boy did not seem to be bothered by it, police noted.

“Due to all the statements given it was determined no action was needed to be taken,” noted one of the officers in the report.

The Joplin Globe and the coverage of the Mark Rohr investigation

The firing of Mark Rohr remains the big story on page one of the Joplin Globe on most days, but the Globe seems to be missing the story.

At the top of page one of Thursday's edition, the headline reads "Letter cites advice on firing." The story's lead- "It was special investigator Tom Loraine who advised Joplin officials in the firing of Mark Rohr without cause, a letter written by Loraine shows."

While the headline and lead are accurate, it is once again a case of the newspaper burying the lead and perhaps pushing its own agenda.

The cost of the investigation, which has been the subject of much coverage, comes directly as a result of something serious Tom Loraine discovered about Mark Rohr, something which was more worrisome even than the apparent conflict of interest of City Councilman Mike Woolston or the completely blown out of proportion accusations against Councilman Bill Scearce.

In fact, that is spelled out clearly in reporter Debby Woodin's story:

Loraine, in the Feb. 20 letter, said that as he took depositions in the probe that was to primarily focus on ethical questions regarding Councilmen Bill Scearce and Mike Woolston and an ote from Rohr's desk, "Mr. Rohr's conduct loomed larger than those issues originally outlined concerning Messrs. Scearce and Woolston."

Loraine's contention that Rohr's problems, whatever they were, were far more serious than those alleged against Scearce and Woolston is buried on the page 10A jump, in the eighth paragraph of the story.

That is what is called burying the lead.

The Globe has steered away from whatever it may be that served as a cause for Rohr's firing and instead concentrated on the 10 missing pages and its own "heroic" efforts to make those 10 pages public.

While I, too, think that the pages should be made public and that they will eventually become public, the Globe has spent little time looking into the important revelations that were included in the open session of the report.

Loraine believed the city should dump master developer Wallace-Bajjali. And there is certainly enough in that firm's history, which those read the Turner Report or who have done their own research know, while those who rely on the area's newspaper of record have not heard a thing about it. The firm has been riddled with bankruptcies, been investigated and fined by the SEC, had tor return $1.2 million to investigators, and have been accused in lawsuits of fraud and operating a Ponzi scheme.

Not one word of most of that has ever been in the Joplin Globe.

Woolston's actions were also questionable to say the least. After the Joplin Tornado, public officials should have known better than to get involved in anything involving real estate in the affected area.

Those findings have been almost completely ignored because of the Globe's fixation on Rohr and what appears to be an obvious effort to discredit Tom Loraine.

It also appears to be an obvious effort to affect the outcome of the April 8 election.

Globe fails to run Burlingame's latest attack on council

Whether the editors at the Joplin Globe rejected his blast against the five City Council members or just had not published it yet and he became impatient is not clear, but Anson Burlingame's latest post debuted on his blog and not in the pages of the area's newspaper of record.

Burlingame addressed the issue at the beginning of his post:

Note: This blog was originally submitted for publication as a guest column in the Globe. Lacking such publication in the newspaper I now post it as a blog to reflect my continuing concerns about how Joplin city government is being grossly mismanaged by the Bloc of Five, council members Scearce, Rosenberg, Golden, Raney and Colbert-King.

The rest of the post features Burlingame's strongest commentary to date on the five City Council members who fired City Manager Mark Rohr:

This city is being mismanaged, grievously, by the City Council, meaning members Scearce, Rosenberg, Golden, Raney and Colbert-Kean. They are using their majority power to terminate a great leader and city employee, implication of gross misdeeds by one member of council and all sorts of other underhanded attempts to stall and even thwart the rebuilding effort ongoing in Joplin for almost now 3 years and previously approved by council.

Burlingame offers his remedy for the city's problems:

All five of those members need to be DISMISSED, run out of office, condemned by the public and all other legal forms expression of outrage for their actions. This is not democracy in action as Americans expect it. It is tyranny of the majority, a majority of good ole boys (and girls) that think they can just ride roughshod over a very angry city.

If the Joplin Globe truly vetoed Burlingame's guest column offering, it is a step in the right direction for a newspaper that has taken a hit with its coverage of city and Joplin R-8 issues.

The Globe also had to use considerable space today to counter a rumor that Burlingame helped promote that City Councilwoman Trisha Raney, one of Burlingame's Bloc of Five, is not a city resident. Though the Globe reporting totally put it to rest, I have a feeling the issue is not going to go away.

Burlingame appears to be easily swayed by those who project themselves as strong leaders. He has been wooed by master developer David Wallace (he has written about Wallace guiding him through the process) and he appears to have his views on local education spoon fed to him by C. J. Huff. 

While I would disagree with Burlingame's apparent stamp of approval of Wallace and Huff as strong leaders Rohr, from all appearances was a strong leader, particularly in the days immediately after the Joplin Tornado, but I still have a hard time believing that any group of "good ole boys" as Burlingame and others have characterized the five City Council members would have been naive enough to think that there would not be serious repercussions to firing a man widely viewed as a hero. Whatever was in the pages of the Loraine report that were not revealed to the public was enough in their view to merit his immediate dismissal. If the decision had been based on political considerations, Rohr would still be city manager because it was obvious that Rohr supporters were going to use the firing to attempt to keep council members Trisha Raney and Jack Golden from being re-elected.

When the content of those missing pages is finally revealed, we should find out more about why Tom Loraine's bill went over the $45,000 limit by so much. This has been the part of the story that has bothered me the most. An educated guess would be that once the Rohr information comes to light, whether we agree with it or not, we will have a better understanding of why the report cost so much.

Video- Itemized bill from ethics investigation provided to Joplin City Council members

A KOAM report KOAM TV 7

Video- KOAM report- Joplin investigator bill to remain secret

KOAM TV 7

Complete video- Joplin City Councilman Mike Woolston's press conference

From the Joplin Regional Business Journal

Woolston: I want to make the entire report public

During a news conference this morning, Councilman Mike Woolston said he had filed a Sunshine Law request for the complete ethics report compiled by Osage Beach attorney Tom Loraine.

If he gets it, Woolston said, "I intend to make the report public."

Woolston, a former Joplin mayor, said he feared "the credibility of the City Council has suffered. It is essential that the credibility of the City Council be restored." Woolston said his request also asks for transcribed copies of all witness interviews.

"I also have concerns related to the termination of our city manager. Ultimately, I hope the people will be told why Mr. (Mark) Rohr was terminated."

Woolston said he did not want Rohr's firing to be the focal point of the city for the next several months, at a time when recovery from the May 22, 2011, tornado is ongoing.

The original scope of the Loraine investigation was supposed to be concerns about the ethics of Woolston and fellow councilman Bill Scearce. The report suggested that Woolston should refrain from involvement in real estate concerns or resign from the council.

The investigation morphed into the dismissal of Rohr.

"I am not happy with the result or the quality of the investigation," Woolston said.

Video- Debate emerges over Joplin City Council investigation bill

KOAM TV 7

Complete video- Last night's Joplin City Council meeting

Woolston: I'm a supporter of Mark Rohr, but we have to focus on tornado recovery

During an interview with KZRG a few moments ago, Joplin City Councilman Mike Woolston said that even though he is a supporter of fired City Manager Mark Rohr, there is a danger in everything centering around Rohr's dismissal.

"Were're going to be so focused on the termination of the city manager that we'll lose sight of the big issue, which is tornado recovery."

Woolston said that could cause the city to lose the momentum it has had since the May 22, 2011, tornado.

The interview also featured Woolston, who is a candidate for re-election, explaining what he thought was wrong with the report issued by Osage Beach lawyer Tom Loraine, which accused Woolston of ethical improprieties in connection with the sale of land in the tornado-stricken area of the city.

"As more and more people read the report, they'll see I've not done anything wrong," Woolston said.

Joplin Globe Sunday edition to examine investigation that cost Mark Rohr his job

The area's newspaper of record is at it again.

Newspaper racks around the city are already advertising the top story in the Sunday Joplin Globe. The topic will be the investigation Osage Beach attorney Tom Loraine did into ethics questions concerning Joplin City Council members William Scearce and Mike Woolston.

As those who haven't been out of the area the last several days know, the report morphed into an investigation of City Manager Mark Rohr and led to his firing by a 5-4 vote.

The Globe will turns its unbiased eyes on the Loraine report Sunday in a report titled "Flawed Investigation."

Am I the only one who thinks the Globe's editor may have selected the headline before her reporters ever started the story?

Mark Rohr on KZRG: There's some talk about me being reinstated

Fired Joplin City Manager Mark Rohr thinks there is a strong possibility he will soon be back on the job.

"There's some talk about me being reinstated in my position," Rohr said moments ago during an interview with KZRG. "I haven't ruled that out."

That could happen if there is a change in the City Council at the upcoming municipal election.

"There is an election coming in April, I expect the citizens will take care of that, if my messages are any indication."

Rohr said the report by Osage Beach investigator Tom Loraine that cost him his job was "not worth the paper it was written on," referring to it as "a red herring."

The 10 pages that have not been released to the public were full of "rumor and innuendo," Rohr said, adding that it included "half-truths and baldfaced lies."

Rohr said three-fourths of the complaints that were included in that section of the report came from former Water Department employees that he had either fired or would have fired if they had not resigned following controversies in that department last year.

"These people have an ax to grind."

During the interview, Rohr called City Attorney Brian Head, who recommended the hiring of Loraine, a liar and said there was "a conspiracy" to remove him as city manager.

Rohr said he would not be releasing the 10 pages of the report that were redacted from the public version at the present time."I need to talk about that with my lawyer." Rohr said he had refuted everything that was in those 10 pages."

In a Facebook post Wednesday, Rohr said he would be revealing information about "extensive corruption" in Joplin. The KZRG interview was not the forum for doing that, he said, but he added that he would be releasing the information "within the next couple of weeks."

A full podcast of the Mark Rohr interview can be found at KZRG's website.
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The Turner Report may not cover the world, but at times it runs circles around the Globe. Consider taking a voluntary subscription and help Joplin's alternative news source continue to grow.

Explosive letter: Mark Rohr: "An Ego That Seems to Have No End"

One of the criticisms Mark Rohr has leveled at Joplin City Council members who voted to fire him Tuesday night is that they were doing so based on complaints that were made against him during the investigation by Osage Beach attorney Tom Loraine.

Tuesday was the second time that the council had voted on firing Rohr. Shortly after the first attempt failed, I published this whistle blower letter on the old Inside Joplin website. In the letter, which was e-mailed  to all city council members, Mike Hartley, a veteran of four decades of working for the City of Joplin, said Rohr has done some good things, but “I have seen his temper, his arrogance and demeaning attitude to staff, his unwillingness to listen to reasonable reasons in lieu of how it affects “his career”, his agenda, and an ego that seems to have no end.”

The text of Hartley’s letter is printed below:

Gentlemen/Ladies of Joplin City Council,

The following is merely an observation mixed with my opinion and a small amount of emotion. There is no malice intended and there is no recommended action requested, but I am compelled to speak out because of a loyalty to my Public Works Department.

Most of you, as honorable Council members do not know me.

My name is Mike Hartley. I am 62 years old. I was born here in Joplin, raised here in Joplin and have lived here my entire life. I have been employed with the City of Joplin for nearly 40 years and I am a few weeks from retirement. All of my years here have been spent in the Public Works department, from pounding street signs in the cold frozen ground with a ten pound sledge hammer, or running a jack hammer all day in 100º heat, painting parking stalls in the wee hours of the night, to currently and for the last 31 years, working out of the Engineering department as an infrastructure designer and project inspector.

What was to be a summer job for me during my college years, has been a great career serving this community as one of the many silent Public Works ambassadors, paid for, in large part, by the people we serve.

I have seen many rule changes. I have worked under many supervisors. I have worked at the direction of many City Managers and I have bowed to the whims and leadership of many City Council bodies.

 Some of the rules changes have been insignificant or redundant, but most have taken the City in a forward direction.

Some of the supervisors had selfish agendas in their management styles, but most had the community’s interest as their motivation.

Some City Managers were very weak or listened to a self ego that ruined all chances of effective leadership, but most have been type A personalities with a true desire to forward a dream of making it possible for this community to grow.

Some of the City Council groups have been full of buffoons and uninformed members, but most have been filled by genuine business men and women with leadership skills and a willingness to make the tough decisions needed to fulfill their duties as stewards of City funding and rules of law…

>>>> …having said that, let me back up for just a moment. The leadership, management, business savvy, and honesty of the upper management team in the Public Works department has been in the best possible condition that I have ever seen it in the years I have been a part of it. They have created the most stable and community friendly department that I have ever witnessed in those years.

The department has been high revenue generating, cost saving in planning and implementation and non-whiners (OK,  for the most part) even in light of having been directed to cut back on budgets and being severely understaffed. “More with less” has been the standard marching order for years at the city. Just pointing out the fact that always gets overlooked, and that is the cost savings and income that is generated from this area.

 And none of these proud accomplishments happened in this department because of anything the city manager did or claims to have done. It all happened, with David’s blessing, and in large part because Jack set the standards high for us and developed an atmosphere of respect and pride in work for the entire staff. That skill set, of fostering respect among co-workers and their desire to be the best, is something you will not see in the CM, nor does he care about. His occasional shallow words at attempted praise always fall on non-respecting ears. Empty words. And placing his puppet of Asst CM to run 4th floor and PW is a joke in our eyes.

I can proudly say that I have served with and stand by my leadership, in my case, on the 4th floor, David Hertzberg, Jack Schaller, Dave Hunt, Dan Johnson, Troy Bollander, Steve Cope and all staff.

 David, Jack and Steve especially since they have been the center of recent allegations against this department. Allegations that, in my opinion and observation, were deliberately and with a substantial amount of premeditation, set up and allowed to exist for the sole purpose of serving the agenda and desires of 2nd floor management.

 I do not claim to know every detail about personnel matters within the City, but I know what I see and hear daily, and none of the allegations against these gentlemen is in bright light, the truth. Just a means to an end.

 And no one in this department appreciates the negative press received since the manager’s decision to re-arrange his “team”. This department deserves much better than the press we have received. This department has in two weeks, gone from being a strong, revenue producing department to being the weakest and most demoralized I have seen in my 40 years. I am ashamed of the decisions made by second floor, and the lack of backbone from others who could have stepped up in opposition…<<<<

 Now, back to my “I’ve seen” list.

Since this conversation could wrap itself entirely around the 2011 tornado and recovery, I do not want it considered in any of the thoughts provoked here. That event, while huge in the history of Joplin, is still a minor part of what this body of people is about and their purpose.

The current manager falls somewhere in the middle of the past managers description above. I have seen this manager do some good things within this community, no doubt and I give him credit for that. He does put in long hours and stays engaged in community. He may have a genuine desire to be an asset to this community, I don’t know his heart, but what I SEE from day to day tells me otherwise. I have seen his temper, his arrogance and demeaning attitude to staff, his unwillingness to listen to reasonable reasons in lieu of how it affects “his career”, his agenda, and an ego that seems to have no end.

I was angered Friday morning when I read that the manager was allowed to “skate” on his non-approval from Council because of in his words, a lack of dialogue for direction and expectations.

 And some members of Council by concerns for “political correctness” bought into that notion and lost the ability to make a tough decision.

Was Jack given a dialog prior to a two day unpaid suspension for merely informing a new hire of expected duties and time commitments? NO. Was David given a dialog of expectations prior to being demoted. NOT LIKELY. Was Steve given any benefit of the doubt or dialog when funding from ten years prior became known to be uncollected. NO.

And how does something like that go un-noticed by Finance AND the manager for ten years? Doesn’t matter I guess…let’s just blame and get rid of the current department leadership, no matter the amount of extra revenue and savings they brought to the City operating funds.

Why does the manager get that consideration? Because the current Council falls somewhere in the middle of the observed past groups described above. You can search your own heart and figure out where you are in that description.

 Myself, I am sick and tired of the monster that has grown from political correctness and government subsidies… the overwhelming sense of “Oh My God we must above all else and good common sense, provide the appearance of fairness and equal treatment, the fear of making someone else uncomfortable” and the absolute nonsense decisions that have grown like cancers from that. Political correctness only serves itself and those that allow it to help their own agenda in life. Why is this country so screwed up today? In large part to political correctness and so many communities sucking on the government funding tit. And this community’s leadership has allowed itself to fall into that same trap, all the while thinking and/or pretending they have accomplished something good when in reality they have only made the community beholdin’ to the powers in Jeff City and DC.

 I have much more on my mind, but prudence and respect for your time compels me to close.

 I am hopeful that I have not overstepped my boundary by too much in any of the preceding statements. I am merely using my right as a citizen of this community, with the added responsibility of also being an employee of the community, and the right of free speech to share an opinion with Council.

 I am not advocating any action nor do I expect any response. In fact, I wonder how many will even still be reading at this point.

 I am only stating my allegiance to the City of Joplin community, to David Hertzberg as my Public Works Director, Jack Schaller as my Asst. Public Works Director, Steve Cope as head of Building Dept and all the Public Works staff and supervisors.

 Sincerely and with complete respect,

Mike Hartley

Engineering Dept

City of Joplin

Investigator's report rips Joplin Globe's investigation into Councilman Scearce

Joplin Globe Editor Carol Stark's efforts to help City Manager Mark Rohr came in for criticism in the investigative report issued Tuesday night by Osage Beach attorney Tom Loraine.

Rohr reportedly went to Mrs. Stark with information about an FBI investigation into Councilman Bill Scearce involving former tenants of his who were involved in a gambling operation. Rohr's discussions with Mrs. Stark took place after a failed attempt to fire Rohr last summer.

Tabbing Scearce as the ringleader of those who wanted to get rid of him, Rohr gave Mrs. Stark the information and she dutifully had reporters write about the situation as if it were the second coming of Watergate.

Why that story was important and how she came to plaster it on the Globe's front pages for several days is not included in the report...because Mrs. Stark refused to allow Loraine to interview her.

"The editor of the Joplin Globe has refused to make a statement concerning knowledge she purportedly had about Mr. Scearce acting with any gambling activities."

She was not the only one who would not cooperate with Loraine, according to the report.

"Similarly, people that had inside information about the FBI questioning of Mr. Scearce, to wit: Police Chief Lane Roberts and former City Joplin Policeman James Altic, who is now chief of City of Seneca, have refused to give any details of an alleged FBI report that led to an indictment and conviction f Joplin "bookmaker" Lovett.

"When offered to reveal facts that would support wrongdoing by Mr. Scearce, both Lane Roberts and James Altic refused. Roberts allegedly swore secrecy required by the FBI. Any continuing investigation against Councilman Scearce was clearly disavowed by the General Counsel of FBI K. C. division.

"When I asked Mr. Scearce to request the original 302 report of his questioning about Mr. Lovett, Scearce agreed to request any record. He has done so in writing through Mr. Genisio (his lawyer) inquiring to the FBI.

"After consulting with the FBI General Counsel, I find no credibility in a theory of a continuing investigation of Mr. Scearce. If the Council of Joplin wishes to force Lane Roberts to testify or face discharge (note: this was before Roberts' recent retirement announcement), I will pursue this matter. In light of the statement of FBI General Counsel and the passage of time without indictment, I believe Bill Scearce to be innocent of participating in gambling activities with Mr. Lovett.:

At that point, Loraine took a shot at the Globe coverage:

"I also do not find any ethical violations have occurred in subsequent newspaper developments on this 'non-story.' "

Loraine said that if these kinds of accusations against Scearce continue, it could "invite a defamation lawsuit. I can find no evidence that Mr. Scearce has committed crime or an ethical violation of his official duties as a city member.

"When the 302 FBI report arrives, I believe there will be no continuing investigations of Mr. Scearce."

Joplin City Council to public: You can't handle the truth

Joplin City Council members probably will not appreciate the irony, but they have been behind closed doors for nearly four and a half hours as this is being written- reviewing a report that was ordered to bring the truth about two city councilmen into the open.

Investigator Tom Loraine's report, commissioned by the City Council in November, was designed to uncover the truth about Mayor Pro Tem Bill Scearce's connection with a convicted gambler who was a tenant of his at one point, and whether City Councilman and former Mayor Mike Woolston, a real estate broker, bought land in the tornado-damaged area of the city knowing he could resell it to Wallace-Bajjali, the city's master developers, and make a tidy profit.

What reason was used to justify the closed session I do not know- the agenda for the meeting is not posted at the city website- but it can't be personnel. Elected officials do not fall under that category.

The council authorized paying Loraine, an Osage Beach lawyer, $45,000 for the investigation.

Now the first thing that has been done is to take the investigation behind closed doors and make us wonder just what, if anything, could be a good enough reason to keep Joplin residents from knowing whether they have two crooks, or one, or maybe none, sitting on the City Council.

Taking this investigation out of sight of the public, even for one minute, was not a wise decision on the part of the city council no matter what information was included in the report.

If the council members legally went behind closed doors, and it is most likely either they did or the city attorney told them they did, it was an unwise move. They should always remember that the Sunshine Law never states that you have to meet behind closed doors in certain situations. It says you "may."

In this post-tornado era, in which we have seen millions of dollars coming into the city of Joplin, it is more important than ever that our leaders conduct city business in full view of the public.

Our elected officials should take the lead.

They certainly blew it tonight.

Is there corruption in Joplin?

Joplin City Council is meeting in closed session at this moment going over a report filed by Tom Loraine, the Osage Beach attorney who was hired November 11 to head the investigation into 
activities of council members Bill Scearce and Mike Woolston. Loraine, who at one time worked in the U. S. Attorney’s office, has considerable experience in this type of investigation.

The cost of the probe was put at $45,000, Any further expenses would have to come before the council for approval.