MASON CITY – A complaint has been filed with the Iowa Civil Rights Commission in Des Moines against government officials at City Hall in Mason City.
According to a strong source, those named in the complaint, which was brought by the attorney of former Mason City Human Rights Director Lionel Foster, are: Mayor Eric Bookmeyer; City Administrator Brent Trout; the entire City Council, which includes Scott Tornquist, Alex Kuhn, John Lee, Travis Hickey, Jean Marinos and Janet Solberg; and three Mason City Human Rights Commission members: Steve Palmer, Brian McNamara, and Mark Stanton.
It was reported in a local media source that the issue was a lawsuit, which is not correct, another source told NIT.
“There are envelopes in all the inboxes from the Iowa Civil Rights Commission,” at City Hall, an informer told NIT Tuesday afternoon. “Trout, Bookmeyer got one. All the council and a couple in the boxes for the Human Rights Commission. They must have run right to the press with it.”
Yet another source told NIT that there was a story in the local media about a lawsuit.
“It took me by surprise, because it’s not a lawsuit,” the source indicated. “It’s a civil rights violation complaint.”
It was reported to NIT some weeks ago that newly-appointed Human Rights Commissioner Mark Stanton was overheard and seen at the Mason City Country Club just hours after his very first Human Rights Commission meeting. A source who was also at the Country Club and standing near Mr. Stanton that Thursday evening informed NIT that Mr. Stanton was referring to Lionel Foster and bragging that “we finally have him” and “we just have to pay this guy off and he is gone for good.” The source indicated that Mr. Stanton was inebriated and picking up other people’s drinks by mistake and drinking from them. A call was made to Mr. Stanton’s business seeking clarification on the matter but NIT received no call back.
NIT was also told that long-time Human Rights Department assistant Amy Simpson is resigning from her position. A call to the Human Rights Department offices after 4:30 was not answered.
Officials at City Hall have moved Blue Zone staff and materials into the offices where the Human Rights business was once conducted.
More on this developing story this week.
53 thoughts on “Complaint filed against Bookmeyer, Trout, City Council and others with Iowa Civil Rights Commission”
yep more civil rights being violated and corruption in our city just like in the mason city police dept and county attorney office who tried to screw the victim and let kaleb tyler and 4 other dangerous criminalels go because he was related to dave Tyler ex cop and ann Tyler who worked for county attorney till they got turned into the fbi and department of justice then they said they accidently mis charged the victim ya right till fbi contacted them dirty cops and justice in mason but when related to ex cop u can get away with anything the mcpd gives all cops bad names dont trust these are facts not fiction
9 people sitting around that table with Mr. Foster in the picture above. Wonder why only 3 of the 9 were named in the complaint?
Only the commissioners named in the complaint are identified in the picture. The others were not named in the complaint paperwork.
Austin,
Your comment is exactly the point I hinted at. Is one to believe only certain commissioners were named to the suit? If so why is this? Seems pretty discriminatory or selective to me to take a group of people who collectively make up a commission and pick and choose who you file a complaint about.
My thoughts are that the council knew foster would file a complaint, but they didn’t care because they wanted him gone.
@Anonymous-exactly. It isn’t their money so they don’t care. They had to know Lionel would fight back but being so arrogant, they did it anyway.
75 and 40 years in the same public job – holy shit. Time to go you worthless old dud.
Hey Einstein, what exactly makes him “worthless”? His age? Color? Where he lives?
Please fill us all in, and in the meantime, get ahold of Mom and Dad and have them go back over the respect for all individuals unless given a good reason not too part. It’s in Child Rearing 101.
Whereas I hate that the HR Commission was decimated by the current administration and that Mr. Foster lost his job, I have a feeling they crossed all their t’s and dotted all their i’s so Mr. Foster will not have a case. They did away with his position rather than replacing him. Unless Mr. Foster has some substantial damaging legal documentation, he knows this himself. I hope he isn’t filing a nuisance complaint that will just cost the City taxpayer money and get him nowhere due to lack of evidence.
@Katie-I disagree with you on this. Lionel is an expert on this stuff. He spent his whole life doing it. I just can’t see him doing this unless he knew where the body’s were buried. I am betting he has documented everything.
I’d bet on the City’s legal eagle – not Lionel. Time will tell.
I have read many of your post and you are practicing a style of propaganda made famous by Joseph Gerbils the Nazi propaganda minister. If you repeat a lie enough times some of it will stick.
I rather doubt they had all the ducks in a row over the past three years attempts to truncate the HRC and it’s director.
And pitting a young general practice lawyer versus a person who’s career it was in to make cases in Human Rights is not a sure bet. Good money will follow the experienced practitioner.
And since we do not know exactly what is in the complaint, it would be hard to judge it’s merits.
We do not need all the name calling here, sounds very juvenile.
One fact is that Mason City can not afford to pay over 100,000 dollars per year to duplicate services provided by the state.
I am not part of the country club crowd so I do not know what happened out there.
I think in the end this case will be ended by a cash settlement.
Instead of calling people names get out and vote.
I think this city may have passed a tipping point where it is beyond saving as a growing, thriving entity. Past civic leadership has seen to that.
I really hope that this is not true but I look for signs of change none are visible.
But Mason City can afford to support a museum when most other communities large and small across the country operate them on donations alone.
What is more important to a community? A direct service to it’s citizens which stands up for their rights, or a nice to have museum, or statuary, or unproven Blue Zones.
I agree about the statues, library with coffee shop, blue zones etc.
A lot of wasted money ,time and resources.
David Aames,
This action is but an opening move in what will become a long drawn out process up the chain of command as so to speak. EEOC can be a powerful option if the evidence of actions is there. Given the sequence of events that has unfolded over almost four years is however pretty compelling.
Its such a sad thing to live in Mason City. The town is dead and a embarrassment to the rest of the state of Iowa. 8 miles to the west, you have a proud vibrant community. I can see why the Mason City school system trys to partner with Clear lake. Maybe some will rub off on Mason City.
You said it. The city is on a terrible course and taking all of us along for the ride.
Obama has got the republicans, Lionel has Bookmeyer and the council. Six of one, half dozen of another.
Not
Anyone who knows Lionel, knows that this is not about money. This is about principal. Lionel knows he has a case because he has been trained by the federal government to investigate cases like these for the past 20-40 years. I am interested to see if the EEOC will take the case from ICRC.
We would like to think that but again it is Mason City
The city’s insurance will be paying another claim, PERIOD!
Don’t Vote for Drunkmeyer and do not vote the rest of them in, Clean house already!!
hopefully theres enough in the 15 percent that vote
Nothing will happen as usual and people will forget but this group will be bastards until the day they are gone and then guess who they will have to answer to?
Huh that’s right, whether you believe in god or that it comes here on earth you will have to pay up. It ALL comes around.
I hope Lionel ends up with the deed to City Hall.
Go get them, Mr. Foster. Our city’s country club appears to be a breeding ground for controversy. Mr. Stanton apparently shot his mouth off there, and dollars to donuts his boasts become part of this. The country club really is a watering hole for the rich and connected. And for the indiscreet and arrogant. I read that it is the location where Bookie got his neo Nazi, drug addicted crony to introduce him to Mr. Steven Minert, just weeks before the city council awarded approximately $300,000 to Harley Davidson. Perhaps now we shall see more of how people who go there have not our interests at heart?
The poster who noted that this is not a lawsuit is correct. It is simply the precursor to that, however. Now, to be frank, did anyone really NOT expect this would be the likely outcome? I agree with Matt M that the approach taken could have been better. Although, I do think the City will be exonerated on all counts as it is certainly in the prerogative of the elected officials to determine the level of human rights services that it wishes to provide its citizens. While I would have handled the matter differently, that doesn’t mean there was anything legally wrong with the path taken by the City. Once the Civil Rights Commission concludes its investigation, a Section 1983 lawsuit will follow and while the city would prevail, it will instead settle with Mr. foster because that’s the way these matters are handled from a business perspective. The most disappointing thing is that only the attorneys come out ahead in these situations. They smile all the way to the bank. In the end, none of the parties are any better off, but the attorneys get richer.
@David Aames-I must disagree with you on this issue. Lionel has spent his whole life on these types of cases and I am sure he has documented every single thing that was done to him with names and date. The mayor and his cronies shot off their mouths in public and there are always people listening that will be a witness. They are their own worse enemy’s. I think Lionel will win and this is just the first step in the process. These things take time but it will happen. What a shame that the city is liable for what these people did just to get even. The mayor has deep pockets so he had better be the one watching out.
I agree with Aames – council was well within its rights to cut funding for a duplicative service, one already available from the state that we all pay for.
I am not surprised by Foster’s filing and I would be surprised if council had not already taken that into account prior to reducing funding. After attorney fees are paid we will be right back to where we are now – HRC funding cut and Foster retired.
You got part of it right, Lionel will be trtired but with a hell of a lot more money. And he has it coming, that and more.
I meant to say “retired”
If you repeat a lie enough times some of it will stick. Des Moines has a department of Motor Vehicles does that mean that every one should got to Des Moines to get new plates or should it be more convenient to go to city hall and get the the new plates there. That whole story about cutting the budget was bull. The proof is the current level of the wild spending spree that city hall has involved them selves in.
great timing. with an election coming up. dont let anyone forget this on election day.
I believe Scott T. stated he would never cut a service (meaning fire dept and police) yet City did not pay all the over time due to the employees and also appears to have used funds for retirement to off set budget. Then quoted what Fort Dodge pays for HRC… How about quoting what Fort Dodge pays for fire and police… approx. 4.2 million and Mason City pays approx. 8 million. Stupid is as Stupid does…. Bookmeyer set it in motion and they all followed. Hope they are all still buddies when this is founded against them, but as they say evil will turn on itself… wonder who will be the first to cough up the truth and turn against the dream team??? Prob Bookmeyer bet he throws Trout under the buss and Scott.
I pray that when this action is settled that Bookmeyer and Trout have to fork the money up out of their own pocket and not expect the citizens insurance policy to pay for their personal bias against Mr. Foster.
Anyone who thinks Mayor Bookmeyer and his gang will be vindicated has not been paying attention.
From the get go, it was apparent that Eric Bookmeyer had a personal vendetta against Mr. Foster.
If this ends up costing the taxpayers money I propose that the citizens of Mason City file a lawsuit against Eric Bookmeyer personally and everyone who attacked Mr. Foster if there is any money paid out of the taxpayers pocket.
These public officials were clearly using their elected and appointed office positions to torture Mr. Foster. That is against the law!
does anyone actually know who would be responsible for paying lawyer fees? Lets assume the mayor and council members lose the election. Then they will not be employed be the city and not able to use city insurance. what ya think?
The taxpayers will pay for this. Even if they lose the election, they were on the council at the time the alleged bad acts took place. Tom Meyer was represented by the City’s attorney during the Ann Butcher trial.
And every one watched the only man in this town who has helped so many people for 40 years attacked and shamed by these bigots that represent mason city. No one did or said a thing. While that bold faced Liar Mr Thornquist spun his lies on TV in our faces.
What’s the matter Mason City? These are the scum bags you voted for. Is this a reflection of Mason City? Huuummm?
Nothing but racist!!!! Wonder what Oprah would think…let’s call her! Look what Paula Deen got? Bookmeyer and clan would crap if we let the world KNOW! I think I will!
instead of calling them city council we should call them the scum club they definitely earned that title
Bookmeyer has had it in for Lionel from day one and that was one of his goals to get rid of him. He needs to be taught a lesson that you can’t bully people and get away with it. He is a spoiled rotten brat that seems to get his own way and that needs to come to a halt. He is like the politicians. He wants everything his way and doesn’t care about the taxpayers and what is best for them. And he claims decorum as part of his selling point? He is a joke!
Bookmeyer and his cronies systematically destroyed the Commission by appointing people tasked with destroying it from the inside. Those Bookmeyer appointed disrupted meetings and prevented business from being done. I believe that a common criticism of the Commission was that it was slow. Well, who caused that?
Lionel Foster helped and guided a lot of people. Those people have nowhere to go now. How can a Commission picked by the mayor for strategic purposes correct human rights violations when the mayor thinks that abusing and exploiting people is just “good business”?
The entire group should be thrown away along with their drinks at the country club!!
If you are FOR these people think beyond this and what they would DO TO YOU if needed in their sober states. NO ONE matters to them! Even you a country cluber!
Really. They should be looked into deeper then this. No one knows where to start I’m guessing. A good place to start would be to VOTE them ALL OUT!!!
Shame on them. Years of abuse. REALIZE it people of Mason City!!!!
i agree with you matt clearly they are making discussions th at they want and dont care about the citizens of this community there as corrupt as the rest of the government there choices are to there benefit not the people who are being violated i hope mr Foster gets some justice these are the people in charge of our city i want to puke
My fellow Mason City citizens:
Whether you like Mr. Foster or not; whether you believe the Human Rights agency was over-funded or not; whether you believe in Human Rights or not, how this debacle unfolded over the last 3+ years was a clear and deliberate assault on this man and our Human Rights Department. There is no question in my mind that this mayor, Eric Bookmeyer, and several council members set out to destroy this institution. As I understand it, Mr. Foster was never once sat down privately by City officials and talked to about the performance of his department nor the commission. It was simply decided by the mayor and council – out of the public eye – to shut it all down, and it was done. This, my neighbors, is not how City business should be conducted, and it is a disgrace. We deserve better.
Good on you Mr. Marquardt.
You are spot on!
This is truly a dark time for the city of Mason City. The way Mayor Bookmeyer and the City Council treated Mr. Foster is despicable!
We must do better.
Is it time for some old fashion tar and feathers…and some splintered rails..
Does this surprise anyone? It was a given that this would happen. There are penalty’s for treating someone the way Lionel was treated and humiliated by these people in public.
We MUST Vote these bums out!!! And Mr. Trout should be shown the door too. When you sleep with dogs, you get fleas!