Monday, June 30, 2008
Continued Conflict of Interest at the Mehlville Fire Department
MFPD Director Bonnie Stegman continues to serve two masters and only one seems to be served well. At the last Mehlville Fire Board meeting, Deputy Chief Walk presented his concerns that St. Anthony's Medical Center was using our ambulances as medical taxis. He complained about transferring of patients within St. Anthony's system. He has written the hospital but has not received a response. He told the board that if this continues, he thought they should be billed. The board told him to write another letter and Stegman agreed to help with the letter. Can we expect Stegman to aggressively pursue this matter when she is employed by St. Anthony's? I don't think so. She has yet to stand up for the district while St. Anthony's emergency room diverts our ambulances to other St. Louis hospitals. Stegman needs to stand up or step down.
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7 comments:
Do you think St. Anthony's really cares about Bonnie or Craig or Mehlville when it was Bonnie and Craig that stopped St. Anthony's from being medical control for Mehlville.
Why don't they (Bonnie and Craig) get their newly hired pet, Dr. Bosche to make the big, bad hospital stop. What does it matter if it is the hospital that is using the Mehlville ambulances as medical taxi's or it's their own taxpayers?
Taxi rides are probably 80% of their calls...it's the way of the world.
Or, the district could just hire the "farmer" he seems to know how to get things done!
Farmer? Who is this farmer you're talking about?
Fact: St. Anthony's is still Mehlville's medical control.
Looks like another one of the 'Super Hibrid Fire-Medics' that was hired by the current board is leaving to a more reputable department! Nice work BOD's!
Franklin settles with ex-firefighter; agrees to pay $150K
Union affiliations at center of dismissal, suit claimed
By KEVIN WALTERS • Staff Writer • May 15, 2008
FRANKLIN —Stephen Zachar will get $150,000, a letter of recommendation from his former city bosses and all his personnel records will be expunged of any trace he'd been fired under terms of a settlement now being finalized.
Aldermen agreed 8-0 Tuesday night to make the payment to the former city firefighter. The Franklin Fire Department in August fired Zachar from the position he'd held for little more than five months.
After the aldermen's approval, Zachar's attorney, Tom Woodley, said he expected the settlement's other details would now likely be approved as well.
"Certainly, Stephen Zachar and his wife are very pleased," Woodley said.
The six-figure settlement comes two months after Zachar filed a federal lawsuit in Nashville against current and former top Franklin leaders — and a year after aldermen paid two African-American firefighters $500,000 to settle a federal racial discrimination lawsuit brought against the city.
In his suit, Zachar alleged his constitutional rights were violated because he was fired after his bosses learned of his association with firefighters' unions in Franklin and at a previous job.
The settlement was reached after a daylong mediation between both sides. Woodley said the agreement initially included city officials reinstating Zachar. However, Woodley said Zachar has moved to the Memphis area, where he plans to get a new firefighting job.
Franklin officials had little to say about the matter. After their regular Tuesday board session, they emerged from a roughly 30-minute, closed-door executive session and unanimously approved the payment.
Franklin Fire Chief Rocky Garzarek declined to comment.
In addition to the city, the lawsuit named Garzarek, Human Resources Director Shirley Harmon and former City Administrator Jay Johnson as defendants.
Don Doss, a fire department engineer and president of the Franklin Firefighters Union, brought up Zachar's settlement and the earlier one as he renewed his criticisms of Garzarek.
"We lost an experienced, well-trained firefighter that would have been a major asset to the citizens of Franklin," Doss said. "When is the person that caused this injustice to occur going to be held accountable for these actions?"
Mayor John Schroer declined to comment. Attorney Bill Bates, who represented the city, did not return a call for comment.
Sounds familiar! I hope that the 4 board members read this.
Stonebraker tried this in Lemay and lost. Now him and his pals are trying it in Mehlville at the expense of the taxpayers. I hope they go after the BOD's on a civil level and take everything they own! Keep your heads up Mehlville Firefighters. There are alot citizens on your side!
There ARE a lot of citizens on your side! Hang in there!
The citizen's of Maplewood lost one of there Local 2665 bully thug firefighters. I know that the Hillmer/Stonebraker clan won't lose any sleep but the rest of the people with a heart please keep the family of this brave person in your prayers!
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