subscribesubscriber servicescontact usabout ussite map
Fri, Nov 27 2009 

Published June 20, 2008 02:48 pm - City Councilman Jon Tupper will face allegations of six specific instances of unethical conduct in office when the only known disciplinary case of its kind in recent memory is held Monday by the Joplin City Council.

Jon Tupper’s hearing may be first in city history w/ Notice of Hearing charges, city code and charter excerpts



By Debby Woodin

dwoodin@joplinglobe.com

City Councilman Jon Tupper will face allegations of six specific instances of unethical conduct in office when the only known disciplinary case of its kind in recent memory is held Monday by the Joplin City Council.

While some council members in the past were subjects of disciplinary action, including Tupper, none required an evidentiary hearing.

“I don’t ever remember any type of situation like what’s coming up,” said former mayor Don Goetz. “We had the one little problem in 1985, I believe, where we had five councilmen on a recall, but that was a whole different situation.”

City Manager Mark Rohr alleges Tupper said he intended to fire Rohr if Rohr did not fire parks director Jerry Calvin and two other employees, and that Tupper gave instructions or criticized other city employees in violation of the City Home Rule Charter and council code of ethics.

Goetz said he knows there have been instances with past councils in which a member said something he shouldn’t have said to a city employee.

“Normally, through the years, since they’re not professional politicians, council members may have talked to city employees and said something when they didn’t mean to give them instructions. After we talked to them, they realize they’ve gone astray and they ceased and apologized for any action that could have been construed as giving orders to a city employee.”

Past trouble

There have been past investigations, disciplinary actions and recall efforts involving council members.

In the 1985 case cited by Goetz, five council members resigned after residents gathered enough signatures to force a recall election.

The recall was sought by a group led by Jack Stults after the council forced the resignation of then-City Manager Strib Boynton. Council members alleged that Boynton gave out information about city issues to reporters before giving it to council members and failed to comply with council decisions on raises for certain employees and how they were to be recorded in the budget.

Bill Scearce, a current council member, was serving on the council then and was mayor pro tem. He was not a target of that recall.

There also was a recall effort in 1971 by residents of an organization called the Good Government League that accused some council members of wasteful spending.

Two of the council’s current nine members — Tupper and Jim West — have been subjects of disciplinary action or investigations in the past.



print this story    email this story    comment on this story   

Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.


Add a comment on this story







autoconx
Premier Guide
Find a business

Walking Fingers
Maps, Menus, Store hours, Coupons, and more...
Premier Guide

Announcements


Click here to VOTE!!

Click here!!

: Special Offer For New Subscribers : 32 buy 1 get 1 free offers

Click Here!


Featured Jobs

TRUCK DRIVERS NEEDED

for local construction project, must have CDL and experience on construction site belly dumps. 417-206-0930.
...>MORE

See all ads

Featured Transportation

1999 CADILLAC SEDAN DEVILLE
Delegance, Michelin tires, Northstar, vinyl top, loaded, $3900/or offer. (417)850-0731....>MORE

JEEP 2000 CHEROKEE SPORT
JEEP, 2000 Cherokee Sport, 6 1/2” lift, 35” foggers, locked front end, welded rear end, off road use, winch not included...>MORE

2001 FORD WINDSTAR SE
Sport, loaded, all options, great looking van, extra nice, $3200. 1317 Schifferdecker, Joplin....>MORE

2002 KIA OPTIMA EX
4 door, sharp, loaded, leather, CD, sunroof, extra nice, $3200. 1317 Schifferdecker, Joplin....>MORE

TOYOTA 2004 TACOMA PRERUNNER
Toyota, 2004 Tacoma Prerunner, TRD off road, double cab, V6, new tires, CD, bed liner, lid cover, 100,000 miles, excelle...>MORE

FORD, 1997 F150
V8, automatic, extended cab, high miles, $2600. (417)214-0145....>MORE

1993 CHEVROLET LONG BED
runs good, 4.3 V6, new transmission, needs body parts, $400. (417)438-2508...>MORE

1998 CHEVROLET S10
4 cylinder, 5 speed, high miles, $1750. 417-214-0022....>MORE

2001 DODGE RAM 1500
SLT/shell, 71,000 miles, 5.9l V8, tow package +, super condition reduced $7690. 417-358-5395....>MORE

2003 DODGE CARAVAN SPORT
loaded, 1 owner, 94,000 miles, nice. (417)385-7755...>MORE

See all ads

Featured Homes

525 E. 41ST, JOPLIN, MO

to be sold at auction December 5th or before. Lovely all red brick home on large corner. 4 bedroom, 2 bath, double
...>MORE

NEWER 3 BR/2 BA
Lots of upgrades and great location. $149,000 but all offers considered. 903 Katlin, Carl Junction. Pictures www.fsboloc...>MORE

Deerfield Estates
in Carl Junction, prime building sites, reduced $10,000 each. 417-825-0052...>MORE

3 ACRES
3 ACRES more/less with pond. Nice park-like setting, just minutes from Range Line. Close to area of newer homes. $19,900...>MORE

See all ads

Other Cool Stuff

INDIAN HEAD PENNIES
INDIAN HEAD PENNIES, 35% Civil War II nickels, V nickels, Buffalo nickels, lots of other coins. Garage full of antiques ...>MORE

POODLES
POODLES, standard pups, born 10/10, registered, shots, wormed, family raised. Adorable personalities! 417-673-3892....>MORE

ANTIQUES FOR SALE
blue sette $350 2 lamps $75 coffee table $35 2 half side tables $35 2 mauve 60's chairs $225 will e-mail photos. 417-673...>MORE

I WANT TO BUY
6’ t-post, 5’ wire. Call for details. (417)396-1339...>MORE

NEW IN BOX
New in box, Lucchese cowboy boots, black, size 9D, $200. (620)231-9256...>MORE

DIAMOND SOLITAIRE
Pear-shaped, one carat, diamond solitaire in gold setting. $2,000. Please call 417-825-3238...>MORE

MALTESE PUPPIES ADORABLE!!

6 weeks old Thanksgiving. 2 boys and 2 girls. Shots, wormed, and vet checked. Healthy, active, and loved! Great Ch
...>MORE

SCHNAUZERS
one white puppy, one registered silver adult female, one white adult male. (417)437-0300....>MORE

GREAT CHRISTMAS GIFT!
1000 thread 100% Egyptian cotton bed sheets, all sizes, 10 colors, $35/set. (417)782-6639....>MORE

ANGUS HEIFERS
6 Augus heifers, good foundation stock. (417)358-7519...>MORE

See all ads


 

Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc.CNHI Classified Advertising NetworkCNHI News Service
Associated Press content © 2009. All rights reserved. AP content may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Our site is powered by Zope and our Internet Yellow Pages site is powered by PremierGuide.
Some parts of our site may require you to download the Flash Player Plugin.
View our Privacy Policy
Advertiser index

 

 

The Joplin Globe Electronic Edition