TONTITOWN -- Alderman Joe Edgmon publicly was reprimanded by his own City Council for missing meetings, revealing more internal squabbling in the city.
"This is the worst council I've ever seen -- very mean spirited," Edgmon said.
Aldermen absences
Four aldermen among six have missed meetings this year, according to city online records. As of Friday, aldermen have held 21 meetings, many of which were specially called meetings.
• Joe Edgmon was absent for one Committee of the Whole meeting, July 21; two special meetings, April 2 and July 21; a City Council meeting, April 7. Edgmon left one Committee of the Whole meeting early March 17.
• Arthur Penzo was absent for one Committee of the Whole meeting, June 16; and two special meetings, Feb. 10 and June 16.
• Rhonda Doudna was absent for one Committee of the Whole meeting and a special meeting, both June 16.
• Tommy Granata was absent for a special meeting April 2.
• Henry Piazza and Larry Ardemagni have perfect attendance.
Source: Tontitown online records
No one in administration is responsible for keeping up with how many meetings aldermen don't attend, Mayor Paul Colvin said Wednesday.
"I don't feel like Mr. Edgmon has been picked on as much as the council members are kind of monitoring themselves," Colvin said. "The councilmen knew the rules."
The City Council voted to sanction Edgmon for missing too many meetings after Alderwoman Rhonda Doudna brought up the issue during the City Council meeting Tuesday. Edgmon missed four of 21 meetings held this year, according to records. He also left one meeting early.
The sanction cost Edgmon $100.
The action comes after a series of public, personal and political fights this year between Edgmon and Doudna. No one provided Doudna the numbers for Edgmon's absences. She checked them herself, she said.
"This is not a vendetta," Doudna said. "Mr. Edgmon creates his own misery."
Aldermen are allowed to miss one City Council meeting and one Committee of the Whole meeting before the council can choose to vote to reprimand, according to an ordinance passed in January.
The original ordinance did not mandate a sanction, Edgmon pointed out.
The ordinance was changed Tuesday -- the same day Edgmon was reprimanded -- to make the sanctions automatic and a vote by the City Council is no longer required.
Aldermen suspended the rules Tuesday and approved the amended ordinance in one night instead of reading the legislation at three meetings.
The revised ordinance also delineates how much aldermen get paid per meeting. Effective immediately, aldermen will receive $300 per City Council meeting, $100 per Committee of the Whole meeting and $50 for each specially called meeting, according to the approved ordinance.
Aldermen were paid $400 per month until they changed the ordinance, Colvin and Doudna said. The revised ordinance could encourage aldermen to call more special meetings, Edgmon said.
'Some kind of show'
Edgmon voted for the original ordinance and understood he would be reprimanded, Doudna said.
"It's his choices that are getting him into the situations he is in and causing him the grief -- not me," she said.
Edgmon said he is not worried about the $100, and he missed because he had to. He attends most of the meetings, including frequent special meetings, and does city work outside of those meetings, he said.
Other aldemen have missed meetings this year and have not been give a public warning, documents show.
Alderman Arthur Penzo missed three meetings, Doudna missed two and Alderman Tommy Granata missed one, according to online city records.
The issue is that the City Council is "trying to embarrass me politically," Edgmon said.
Edgmon and Doudna often are on opposite sides politically.
Doudna is a member of a group that ran for office, partly in response to the city starting its own Fire Department in mid-2014. The group also supported curbing spending and dismantling the public safety department.
The backlash from the city creating the Fire Department and not paying the Tontitown Area Volunteer Fire Department after decades of use helped propel Doudna and several other aldermen to the City Council last year.
Several city officials, including the mayor, have or have had connections to the volunteer fire department. Edgmon volunteered with the city Fire Department.
Doudna said the group did not want Edgmon involved with them when they decided to run.
Edgmon was appointed in November by the previous City Council and will be up for election in 2016.
Edgmon supported the city-run Fire Department instead of a service contract with the volunteer department and led a referendum drive to bring the city Fire Department back this year.
The City Council has been retalitory toward Edgmon before, Edgmon said.
He filed a complaint in April against the city and the volunteer fire department after aldermen read aloud information about his daughter's treatment in a vehicle wreck. The information, which aldermen received from the volunteer fire department, was released at a public meeting, Edgmon said.
Edgmon said the patient information should not have been released. It was released maliciously, he said. The City Council already had voted to return to a volunteer Fire Department when the information was released.
Doudna said Edgmon brought up the accident at a previous meeting. She was providing correct information about the volunteer department's response times.
Felony, sanction and complaints
Edgmon continuously investigates the volunteer fire department and the city, Doudna said.
He sent Freedom of Information Act requests to the volunteer department and city, he visited with the county attorney and he talked with the prosecuting attorney.
Edgmon and other residents told the prosecuting attorney Doudna was not present to verify signatures collected for a referendum she led last year. She signed off as being present.
Prosecuting Attorney Matt Durrett filed a felony charge of "false statement on petition verification form" against Doudna in March. Doudna continues to deny wrongdoing. Her most recent court date was Monday, one day before Edgmon was sanctioned at the City Council meeting.
Her next court date is set for Oct. 12.
Last week's sanction is not because of the felony charge or Edgmon's efforts against the volunteer fire department, Doudna said. She said she does blame Edgmon for trying to hurt her and her family.
Edgmon and Doudna each said they believe the other person is after them.
Edgmon asked the state to audit the volunteer fire department to see how it spent city money and paid staff before the city created its own department. He has threatened to sue the volunteer fire department, said Steven Zega, Washington County attorney.
Zega represents the volunteer fire department through the Rural Fire Protection Association, Zega said.
Zega sent Edgmon a letter July 10 that said, in part: "It is apparent to me that it is your goal to cause as much trouble for the Tontitown Area Fire Department as you possibly can." Zega said he didn't feel harassed by Edgmon. The two are on opposite sides though, he said.
"I believe that Joe Edgmon has made it clear that he is not a friend of the Tontitown Area Volunteer Fire Department," Zega said.
At least one volunteer firefighter complained to Tontitown police about Edgmon, Police Chief Joey McCormick said in email. However, the prosecuting attorney declined to press charges, he said.
Edgmon said he is trying to do what's right for the city and look into any possible discrepancies, mistakes or wrongdoing by the volunteer fire department or city. He wants the volunteer fire department and city to be accountable, he said.
"If they have nothing to hide, then don't worry about it," Edgmon said. "They just show me they don't really care how we do things."
NW News on 08/17/2015