MASON CITY – NIT Publisher Matt Marquardt was forced to leave a meeting of elected officials Wednesday at the Mason City Public Library.
Marquardt went to the library to cover a meeting that was called a “mayors luncheon” on a publicly posted agenda of meetings from the Cerro Gordo County Courthouse.
“I saw the meeting on the County Board of Supervisors’ meeting agenda for Wednesday,” Marquardt explained. “What would be more newsworthy than a room full of Mayors, Supervisors and other elected officials?”
Those in attendance included City Administrator Brent Trout, Mason City Mayor Eric Bookmeyer, Clear Lake Mayor Nelson Crabb, Nora Springs Mayor George Anderson, Mason City Council member Scott Tornquist, and Cerro Gordo County Supervisors Urdahl and Bob Amosson, among others.
At the meeting, which was held in a second floor board room at the Mason City Public Library Wednesday at noon, a sign on the open door said only “MAYORS LUNCHEON.”
Marquardt, in an attempt to cover the meeting for a news story, entered the board room where the meeting was being held.
Within a few seconds of entering the room, Marquardt was spotted by Trout, Bookmeyer and Urdahl. Bookmeyer immediately motioned to Trout and stepped aside, allowing Trout to advance towards Marquardt (see video below).
Trout told Marquardt that he was “not invited” and had to leave as he crowded Marquardt out of the room towards the door, blocking his view. Marquardt refused to leave, identified himself as a member of the press, and told Trout that he could call police if chose to as the room full of elected officials filled their plates and ate.
“The people of Mason City are not invited,” Trout told Marquardt. (See video.)
Trout then told Marquardt that he would call the police, and proceeded to do so. After Trout stepped aside, Marquardt walked further into the room and shot about 3-4 still shots and about 10 more seconds of video of the elected officials eating and then met Trout outside the board room.
Marquardt and Trout were then escorted downstairs to a first-floor classroom by Library Director Mary Markwalter where they waited for Mason City Police to arrive.
Ten minutes and 30 seconds later, Mason City Police Chief Michael Lashbrook, accompanied by another officer, entered the room where Trout and Marquardt were waiting.
Trout confirmed in the discussion that followed that Eric Bookmeyer was acting in his capacity as Mayor of Mason City at the meeting.
See video, below, for that discussion.
County Supervisor agenda:
Board of Supervisors Cerro Gordo County – MEETINGS AND AGENDAS FOR THE WEEK OF MARCH 25, 2013
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 2013
9:00 a.m. Press Conference – Iowa Citizen Action Network on Medicaid Expansion in Boardroom (a)
10:00 a.m. County Social Services Board Meeting – Butler County Courthouse – Dougherty
12:00 p.m. Mayors Luncheon – Mason City Library Boardroom – Urdahl & Amosson
1:30 p.m. Meeting with McGladrey LLP – Board’s Office – Urdahl (a)
Video:
httpv://youtu.be/u3ZjQYuEKpI
Matt, this might be your best work yet, and there have been some doozies. Nit is the talk of the town!
Matt, so which was it? You come in the aggressor looking for trouble. You tell Brent do what you got to do. Call the police if you have to. Then when they do, you are the victim. Matt you are a playground bully. Come in rough an tough what are you going to do about it and when someone sticks up to you. Oh my goodness you are now the poor innocent victim. Get over yourself! Believe me Max and Peter aren’t doing you any favors.
Why aren’t you asking why your elected officials are keeping out the press?
Why would they do this if they didn’t have anything to hide or be ashamed of?
Is this the government that you want? You want this?
They aren’t keeping out the press, they are keeping Matt out!
Matt’s a bit TMZ but he’s still the press…lol
@Reggie-come on now. You are better than that. You know Matt is the press. Otherwise why would you be on here commenting all the time. I am surprised at you. Your post are usually intelligent.
@brick-as much as I dislike agreeing with you I do on this subject. It would certainly seem that the administration would want to make peace with the press and get them on their side. That is unless they have something they are trying to hide which certainly seems to be the case.
Matt, keep up the good work..Love It!!!
Just curious Matt , why did you write this article in the 3rd person?
Reggie really wants to know!!!!!
I will editorialize on the experience at a later date.
Three amigos!
Its getting worse, now Beermeister wants in on this gravy train. The fat one invites Urdahl to his lunch that was suppose to be mayors only.
Someone on here made a comment to about something I was suppose to have said it was not me I am NOT Sandy S. when I make a comment I use my own name
Thank you signed sandy Servantez
Sorry, Mrs. Servantez. I did not mean to have it look like that. I am me and you are you.
It is OK Sandy S. someone came up to me and talked about a comment and I didn’t know what they were talking about.
Hmmmm? If this was a meeting of the “Mayor’s”, why was Jay Urdahl a County Supervisor there? HMMMMMMMMMM?
Beermeister invited Urdahl cuz he wants to find out how to cozy up to Gary Blodgett and start rakin in some big bucks for his campaign which if he wins we lose.
Too late. I seen Bookie eating lunch at Hardees with Dr. Blodgett about a year ago. Todd the Nazi was there too. Over an hour.
@Sandy S.-I thought Bookie was a Democrat. Is he another one who is only a Democrat when it suits him?
The Mayor is a Republican, but he may not be registered as such. There is video out there somewhere of him greeting Mitt Romney at Music Man Square. He looks excited and I half expected him to wet himself. Search for it.
@anonymous-O.K.-thanks. I just thought I had read somewhere he was Democrat. I guess it doesn’t matter to much as he will go which ever way gets him the most. This last stunt of having Matt ejected may end up being a huge mistake for him and even Trout.
i am really glad it didn’t say “Eric’s Luncheon” because you would have wondered why there were people there not named Eric.
Ombudsman is going to look into it. 2nd call he has had on it.
Best way to screw with government, is with another government dept.
Do you really think these guys are going to want to answer Ombudsman questions
And the best part it will take a long time and they will always wonder if they got their story straight
I know why some posts were removed– as was mine. It is because I told the truth….
I always tell the truth. no reason not to. Matt had comments removed also. guess we all tell the truth.
@50 miles-it makes you wonder if the site was hacked but people with a vested interest in deleting some comments.
for some reason last night I couldnt get on NIT. cant remember the actual wording but Ive never seen it before.
Our database server came under attack. It was down for 7 hours.
Too bad you don’t practice what you preach and “shop local”.
It appeared that Mr, Trout had no idea that this meeting was published by the county as being a public session especially in the way he showed the “printed invitation”. If Mr Marquardt wanted to stay, I doubt legally there was nothing Mr. Trout or Chief Lashbrook could do. If John Skipper showed up, it would be interesting to know if he would have gotten the same reception Mr. Marquardt did? What was the purpose of this meeting? What were the discussion topics? I do feel sorry for Mr. Trout. He is a very capable administrator and Mr Marquardt, I don’t think you have anything to fear, Mr. Trout would never pull a gun on you. However, I think it was unfair Mayor Bookmeyer put him in the position where the City Administrator served as the Mayor’s lapdog. The Mayor should have approached Marquardt and ask him if he could have this meeting without the press and then tell Marquardt he would sit down with him after this meeting to discuss it. if Marquardt says no, then pull him up a chair and ask him if he would like a bowl of soup.
NIT STAFF: Please clean up the comments. Thank you.
Absolutley uncalled for..
Matt..clean this up… I can see arguing policy, but when it gets like this…enough.
There’s trouble in River City.
Matts on the warpath!
Settle down children.
If they were trying to hide a meeting they weren’t hiding it very well.
I hope they followed the Blue Zone diet at lunch. Be ashamed to spend all the tax dollars on the Blue Zone and not have city leaders be a good example!!!
I’m sorry, but the only one I saw behaving badly in this situation was Mr. Marquardt. One of biggest sins and the lowest form of journalism (other than outright fabrication) is when the reporter decides that she/he should become the story. To create a story where no story existed to appease the voyeuristic tendencies of a readership is beyond vile. This went well beyond fact gathering and reporting. Let me state up front that I am not a fan of the present governing body, but I am fan of manners, respect, and protocol. The rudeness and contempt that Mr. Marquardt exhibited at this function was well out of bounds and discredits him as a viable reporter. I believe Mr. Trout displayed professionalism beyond what most of us would have demonstrated under a similar situation. (Again no Mr. Trout fan here.)
Addressing any adult in any situation by their first name when one has not been given permission nor has a personal relationship with that person shows poor character development and poor situational etiquette. One must earn the right to address any official or any person in an informal manner. Respect is a two way street and this exhibition demonstrates what’s sorely lacking in this form of degrading journalistic behavior.
TRUTH!
DUUUUUCK! Here comes a mudball from LVS!
@marion-just another troll shooting off their mouth at their betters. Hide and snipe is what they do best.
Please explain how you are not a troll, or at least what you tell yourself to believe that.
@XYLON-If you were as smart as you think you are which you are not you would know that a troll hides behind multiple names and then snipes at people just to stir up crap. I always post under LVS and no other name and stand behind what I say. If you ask that question you are probably one of the gutless trolls that post and then even answer their own post. If the shoe fits wear it. Now does that answer your question.
First off Mr.S. Your overall assumption is quite erroneous from the onset. For I have posted many times on this sight and using the moniker Xylon ll. Your obvious flawed reasoning is due to the fact I seldom, if ever, comment on ongoing political matters for I find them tedious and boring and even more so, those that contribute. Your oversight is due to lack of observational skills or lack of research, which I can only assume that you find either endeavor tedious and boring. This is a forgivable sin, so no apology needed.
If you re-read my diatribe, or possible read it for the first time, you will notice it is apolitical. I only address the deplorable manner in which the story was generated,
How you ascertained the level of my intelligence through this brief, is quite troubling. You have no substantive method to deduce the level of my intelligence, nor I you. Where we differ, is that I sincerely hope you are intelligent, where you can only wish I wasn’t. Any thing beyond that is either opinion or conjecture. Opinions being neither provable nor disprovable, makes them an easy ploy for a weak-minded writer to confuse and convince a weak-minder reader that it is somehow a fact. Conjecture however is the formation or expression of an opinion or theory without sufficient evidence for proof. This seems to be the manna of which you and many contributors on this site seem to gain your only sustenance.
As I am finding all this only mildly amusing and intellectually wasteful, I can only hope through this, you can improve your reasoning skills and possibly abstain from your verbal posturing and self-ordained “bully of the play ground” rantings. You act as if you are “King of the Mustelidae” Who perceives he rules through cleverness and guile, when in reality it is only the power of his stench. With that I bid you well. I tire.
I almost forgot, forgive me. In regards to the “Troll” issue. Do you want me to return your resume’? If so, please direct me to where it should be sent.
X2 you absolutely hit the nail on the head and said it very eloquently . Unfortunately most of the posters on this site probably won’t read it or if they did, won’t understand it.
@Xylon ll I shed tears of joy.
@X2-all I can say is WOW-You do have a vocabulary that is for sure. Sure was a long winded way to say what you mean but I guess it made you happy. I don’t think you are Peter L. He didn’t talk that way.
Glad to see you back Peter L!
I am most definitely not Mr. L. I have many issues with him, and even more so with his progeny.
It is plain the mayor had Trout act like a idiot for him. Why did the city administrator follow Matt out to his car unless he was trying to intimidate him? This so called city leader and administrator needs to be fired he works for the people of Mason City not an unemployed mayor.
@rukidding-I am truly surprised at Trout as I really thought he was smarter than to get caught up in Drunkmeiers dirty laundry. He must really have something on him as pulling something like this could be real bad for his career. In one of the pictures it almost looked like Trout was pulling his weapon on Matt and you just have to wonder what Lashbrook would have done then. I know the chief is just trying to hold onto his job until retirement but there has to be limits on what he would allow. Both are well schooled enough in law to know they were in the wrong.
MATT: why are some of the post gone for this story? not even ones with bad language. some of them were yours. there are still answers and replies to those comments now gone. also many of the replies are out of chronological order.
50 MILES SOUTH-there was a link earlier to older comments. That is gone now too.
Zero. The number of meals Jay Urdahl has paid for this week.
Odds that the IP address is from city hall 4:1
Bookie violates law buying these lunches, Jay Urdahl and Phil Dougherty let Hitler’s biggest fan Todd Blodgett buy them a illegal lunch, Lashbrook backs up the powers to be when they keep NIT from reporting what politicians we pay say in a public place. This better stop even if a bunch of us has to drive down to see Tom Miller the Attorney Genaral in the Capitol.
Please do that, a real Democrat. That’s what it’s going to take.
So?
FREEDOM OF SPEECH!
Only applies to the Government.
I called the https://www.legis.iowa.gov/Ombudsman/contact/
and left a msg for Bert to look at the story and then give me a call back
I’ll be anxiously waiting for the results.
Can’t be having mayors of NI holding meetings in a public library. What will people think?
anonymous: dont you mean public meetings in private. after all this is what the story is all about if you didnt know.
Matt, have you sent this video to the State Attorney General’s Office? If not, it needs to be done. Clearly there are many violations here. The mayor needs to know he is only a mayor, he’s not above state laws and it’s time that someone brought this man down.
Someone who knows the law, please bring charges against Trout And Mayor( who ever it is, And I will donate to the cause…Jim#1
One thing is certain, if Trouts lying about who payed for this lunch and who rented the room and paid for it, why he’s got to go. GOT to go.
I KNEW IT!!!!!!! Matt you need to check out some other IP addys. and post them too if there is doubling up on usernames. LVS comment is why I asked the question why not eliminate everyone from using the default anonymous. a few name changes to fit a subject is acceptable but not when you are congratulating yourself.
AT THE TOP OF THIS BOX IT SAYS IP ADDRESSES WILL NOT BE PUBLISHED.
And they weren’t.
@ jo
I didn’t say they were. I was responding to this commenter:
50 MILES SOUTHReply to LVS
March 28, 2013 at 11:56 am
I KNEW IT!!!!!!! Matt you need to check out some other IP addys. and post them too if there is doubling up on usernames.
Nobody seems able to answer this question. Why is the mayor allowed to give away gifts to other officials?
This video makes it clear that this is private gathering that the mayor is funding. Why is the mayor allowed to gift others who make decisions with him? And why are those others allowed to except said gifts?
Please dress up more next gathering as you are representing us here in Nora.
Thanks.
I don’t get it, why do people that don’t like Matt, or the articles he writes on his site, keep coming here and reading the posts. While I might not agree with everything he writes, this is his site, to post anything he wants. Some people would be better off subscribing to the globe site. But I doubt that the globe would let you trash them, and then post it. Quit twisting their arm Matt, and let them go.
People come here because watching monkeys is always good for a laugh.
If you don’t like the nasty comments don’t read them. Is there some rule that says posters should always agree with the site owner?
The GG or any other media doesn’t have that rule.
Anyone who can’t take apposing views should get out of the discussion.
FREEDOM OF SPEECH!
@anonymous-the globe gazette doesn’t have that rule publicly but, they just won’t print it if they disagree with it. Matt lets everyone post regardless of his feelings. I think he is a little to easy on some of them but it is his business.
NIT STAFF: Please keep the comments cleaner, thank you.
Can a Mayor rent rooms and give out free things to other supervisors out of his own pocket?
It seems unethical to say the least.
Why is Mike Lashbrook removing persons from meetings?
not to mention, in the video he even states he didnt know the law or details! so how is the main man in charge asking somone to leave a public meeting without checking facts… seems to me he spoke out of turn and errored in judgment. citizens arrest! LOL
Wow! They sure are scared of Matt, aren’t they?? HILARIOUS! Don’t let up, Matt!
Hey Matt-anonymous is only here on this site to try to piss people off with BUll SH## comments. Their name should be banned so we know who we are dealing with. The majority of people on here are support you in your effort to tell the truth about these elitist people who have raped our community for so long. Keep up the good work and disregard the idiot moron post of a few.
It doesn’t matter why NIT was there. It was an open, public meeting, and that means NIT, or any other media, if they were ever cover some IOWA news or something that isn’t sports, would have the right to be there too. So would you. So would your mother, your brother and your significant other.
Maybe true. But why would my Mother want to attend a mayors meeting? She’s not a mayor.
you are a crazy person
Who was the lobbyist that supplied the free soup ? Lots of hungry poor people out there that could use it. Feeding to the pigs does’nt make sense.
If the value of the meal was under $3.00 — and it looks like it was…then that lobbying issue is not that valid.
@Mr. Money Bags-you can’t even get a cup of coffee and a hamburger for under three dollar so I seriously doubt that the meal was under that amount.
It was probably some bulk soup from Martin Brothers….and under $3.00 per serving.
@Fire Marshall Bill-I am sure that is what they will try to say but the truth will probably come out. You might serve just the soup for that but not the rest of the meal.
This is the way it is in Mason City since this bunch of egomaniacs got into office. We have laws that cover open meetings and they were violated. Of course they have morons like Anonymous who will back anything Drunkmaster wants to do. People like that should be run out of town or at the least prosecuted.
you meant small anonymous
Matt
I know you have this on file. Who do we write to at the state to bring this up. I’m sure you allready have but if others do it won’t hurt. I know I sure will
Administrative Proceedings – Complaints can be filed with the Iowa Public
Information Board on or after July 1, 2013, to secure compliance with and enforcement
of chapters 21 and 22.
I am not practicing law now…but if I were I’d be on the phone speaking to Mr. Marquart about what sort of split we might agree to. This is a slam dunk, a no brainer. Any attorney’s out there who want to add to their bottom line better lock this up fast. Of course they’ll have to be from out of town.
You never did practice law.
The mafia also won’t let the press in – see anyone there that you would trust with a crisp 100 dollar bill? Shameful !
Bookmeyer’s wife might want to check her check book records!
When the announcement of the “luncheon” was posted it became a public meeting and Matt or any of us had every right to be there. Perhaps the Iowa AG needs to see the tape, the announcement and the minutes.
My fear however is that the powers to be will learn that in the future they need to go further under ground when they gather and do the peoples business.
See:
http://www.iowa.gov/government/ag/images/pdfs/Openmeetings_out.pdf
Meeting – requires all of the following:
1. Gathering in person or by electronic means; either
2. Formal or informal; of a
3. Majority of the members of a governmental body; with
4. 4. Deliberation or action upon any matter within the scope of the
governmental body’s policy-making duties. This excludes gatherings for purely
ministerial or social purposes where there is: (1) no discussion of policy; or (2) no
intent to avoid the purposes of chapter 21. Iowa Code § 21.2(2) (2012).
What a crock folks!
Another example of “REPRESENTATION” at it’s best.
Andyeh, maybe satrt a tally on Jay’s free lunches.
You Matt, Are an obstinate ass. All you want to do is create a conflict to put up on your precious little “news” site. This is far from a credible news source as it is riddled with your opinions in every article. Now when I was in journalism I was taught to be completely unbiased. You are not. The other part of this is, if the Mayor would have booked Music Man Square for say a wedding, and you were not invited, would you still show up with camera in hand stating you have every right as a citizen to be there cause you pay taxes? I don’t think so. Well, I don’t want to underestimate you, as you probably would just to spite the person holding the wedding. Now another thing I’d like to mention is I find it completely laughable that you want dual rights. Rights as a citizen and rights of the press. Pick one. If you show up to a public place with camera in hand and the intention of writing an article about what you saw, then you are press. Plain and simple. This is the path you chose so stick to it
High 5!
2 members of the Board of Supervisors + a posted agenda = a public meeting. Any member of the public had a right to be there. They violated Open Meetings rules. Call the Attorney General.
The Board of Supervisors knew this meeting needed to be public so they posted an agenda. Had there only been one Board member, it would not have been Subject to Iowa Open Meetings law. Having the meeting at the library didn’t make it public. If they had this meeting at Clear Lake Bank and Trust it still would have been a public meeting and should have been open. Matt, since this was an open meeting the county is required to produce minutes. I hope you publish them.
This is the point this gathering is likely missing to be considered a “meeting” subject to “open meeting” laws:
4. Deliberation or action upon any matter within the scope of the
governmental body’s policy-making duties. This excludes gatherings for purely
ministerial or social purposes where there is: (1) no discussion of policy; or (2) no
intent to avoid the purposes of chapter 21. Iowa Code § 21.2(2) (2012).
I doubt they were discussing the upcoming Easter holiday. Why else would this group of people get together for lunch except to discuss policy. Ironically, everyone is upset with Bookmeyers, but the violators were the Board of Supervisors.
Urdahl at another free lunch paid by the mayor of mason city RIGHHHHHHHT. Does the city refund its employees for petty cash as I will bet bookie turns the cost in for a refund. Another sign of a little hitler.
I dont think these elected officials was trying to hide anything, they just didnt want Matt present, with that being said it does look bad when they go out of there way to get a citizen removed from reporting a public meeting in a public place. I think this is more of a ego stand than a right to stand. Most elected officials are voted in on popularity vote and not qualifications. Once they are elected there is a switch that turns on that all of sudden makes them invincible in there eyes. It will take a incident to make an example out of one of these officials to bring most back to reality. Come on guys straighten your acts up Matt has everyone watching your moves and your moves need some adjusting. Just saying!
“Everyone”? Maybe everyone that’s ignorant enough to believe the bullshit Matt posts. Tight asses that wouldn’t know how to run a merry go round.
Happy to see they threw his arrogant crazy ass out. Wish I’d been there to cheer them on!
Thankfully NIT WIT doesn’t represent the majority of Mason City.
Yet again there you go. first with the badmouthing. “ignorant”, “tight asses”, “arrogant ass”,
Simply stating that “everyone” does not read NIT and therefor does not represent “all” of mason city. this is my belief and I dont think you can argue with that.
Interesting, the only person who I have ever heard refer to North Iowa Today as NIT WIT is Mayor Bookmeyer. He says it stands for “North Iowa Today Weavers In Training.”
That’s cute.
This is not the real “Watchdog”
Please choose a different handle. I have used this one for years and is registered on NIT.
Just saying!
Myself and others have commented about this before. Untill Matt changes the username situation, everyone can hide under someone elses name and stir up shit.
nice to see how our elected officials work here in Mason City.
Where is the Mayor of Rockwell and Swaledale Your missing two mayors.
Go get them Matt…they obviously have something to hide….
WOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooOOOOOO it’s no doubt a conspiracy of mayors and supervisors to take all your money!
Maybe if you had half their brain you could be a mayor and get invited.
congratulations your first again with :Maybe if you had half their brain” shame shame
Next time they’ll either leave it off the agenda or label it “private”.
GOOD GOD! Matt was there to stir up trouble. No need to post anything any different than they did. I see why you’re an avid fan here. You’re a gullible sheeple.
anonymous: “You’re a gullible sheeple.” there you go again being the first to respond to someone by badmouthing them. shame ahame
They can only have a private meeting with quorum if they meet one of the very limited circumstances where state law allows closed meeting: personnel issues, pending litigation or purchase of property where disclosure would impact the price.