MASON CITY – Today at the Cerro Gordo county board of supervisors meeting, three elected officials abruptly adjourned a meeting even as a citizen – who was following the board’s agenda – attempted to begin to ask questions.
Item “H” on the board’s agenda for October 13 is the last item on the agenda (see below). It is called “correspondence and communication” – always last on the agenda, but always there nonetheless. In other counties, this is sometimes called the “Public Comment Period” (Floyd county), where the public is allowed time to address the board and ask questions. The Cerro Gordo board of supervisors have established over the years – set a precedent – that it takes questions and gives answers to the public during its “correspondence and communication” portion of its meeting.
Today, however, as this item came up, the board – consisting of Jay Urdahl, Phil Dougherty and Casey Callanan – abruptly adjourned, even as a citizen – NorthIowaToday.com Publisher Matt Marquardt – sat quietly in his front row chair with his hand raised and reminded the board that he had questions and remarks to make under Item H.
Dougherty, the board chairman, quickly raced by the “correspondence and communication” and barely looked up to see if the public wanted to be heard – the public he is paid by and serves. He clearly knew, however, that Marquardt had made it very clear that he wanted to address the board.
Callanan called for adjournment as Urdahl and Dougherty immediately agreed, leaving Marquardt asking why the meeting was cut short. Within seconds, Callanan and Urdahl quickly left the room as Dougherty remained briefly gathering papers. Marquardt, however, refused to let the matter go, and as his news camera rolled, questioned Dougherty on the board’s rude and arbitrary behavior.
Dougherty did not object to Marquardt following him to the supervisors’ office. There, Marquardt again asked Casey Callanan to take questions for a news story. Callanan refused and left the office as a deputy was summoned into the room. Dougherty finally – reluctantly – agreed to take questions.
Marquardt posed questions in connection to the appointment of Brett Schoneman to the North Iowa Corridor – an outfit of vital importance to the people of Cerro G0rdo county that Clear Lake, Mason City and Cerro Gordo county elected officials trust to create and/or maintain jobs and economic development here. Dougherty answered some of the questions and admitted he knew virtually nothing about Schoneman before agreeing to appoint him to the Corridor board. Dougherty said he had no knowledge of the fact that Schoneman has been late paying his taxes 21 times over the past 5 years and has what many would consider poor attendance record as a member of the Mason City Airport Board.
Marquardt was able to convince Urdahl to sit down for a “candid” discussion on the matter. Urdahl denies that he ever met with or spoke to Mayor Eric Bookmeyer about bringing Schoneman onto the Corridor Board – despite inside information NIT has gathered that says Bookmeyer and Urdahl did come to an agreement that Schoneman would be the choice to be appointed. He also claimed no knowledge of Schoneman’s dubious tax-paying record and his shoddy attendance with the Airport Board. He did make it clear, however, that if these facts were true, then Schoneman has many questions to answer for and refused to rule out ousting him from the Corridor Board should Schoneman get elected to the city council.
More on the remarks of the Supervisors in connection to Brett Schoneman coming next.
