By Derek Spellman
dspellman@joplinglobe.com
GRANBY, Mo. — Granby’s Board of Aldermen narrowly defeated a motion to reinstate the city’s fired police chief in open session Tuesday night.
Aldermen Bill Cooper and R.L. Arnal moved to reinstate former Chief Gail Bass, stating Bass was terminated without justification and without affording an opportunity to defend himself last month. Their motion failed after Aldermen Jeremy Hopper and Carol Sparnicht voted against it, with Mayor Paul Ferguson casting the tie-breaking vote before a crowd of a few dozen people.
City officials shortly afterward convened a closed session to discuss personnel issues, including Bass’ termination and pending appeal. The board was to meet with Bass’ attorney, Michael Smalley, of Joplin.
Ferguson has declined to comment on why Bass was ousted during the board’s June 23 meeting, saying it is a personnel issue. Bass previously told the Globe that two of three voting aldermen who attended that meeting — Hopper and Sparnicht — voted to fire him, while Arnal voted to retain him. Ferguson only votes in the event of a tie.
Before voting against Bass’ reinstatement in open session Tuesday night, Ferguson called that motion “a different situation” than the one before the board several weeks ago.
Several in the crowd questioned why Bass was terminated, particularly after he had received an unsolicited pay raise. Ferguson, a sergeant with the Police Department in neighboring Diamond, said the raise was given to the position and to keep the chief’s salary competitive with other departments.
“To me that’s a slap in the face” to have the chief’s position only pay $25,000, Ferguson said.
Sparnicht said her criticism of Bass was that there were two separate incidents in which the Granby Police Department had no officers on duty to respond to calls when there should have been an officer available. Officers from the Newton County Sheriff’s Department had to answer the calls, she said.
Ferguson said the department had a total of four full-time officers, including the chief, and one part-time officer.
Phone messages left for Bass on Monday and Tuesday were not returned.
Bass previously said he was never furnished a specific explanation for why his employment was terminated.
The only explanation offered by city officials at the time, he said, was that there had been “a lot of talk” about the department, which he said he took to mean complaints, and allegations that the department on one occasion had no one available to take a call, so the Newton County Sheriff’s Department had to respond.
To the latter charge, he said that situation is common because of Granby’s limited number of officers. He also said no one from the city ever presented him with the specific circumstances of that one call.
Meanwhile, Bass and his attorney, Smalley, say they are appealing the former chief’s termination to Granby’s police personnel board.
Smalley said the department’s rules and regulations allow for such a recourse within 10 days of an officer’s firing, and that the board can make a recommendation as to whether to reverse or affirm that decision to the mayor or City Council.
Except the chairman of that board, Barry Flint, says the panel was stripped of any official appeals power via a change in city ordinances almost a year ago.
“All we do now is look at applications for chief,” Flint said Tuesday.
Smalley said his reading of the city’s regulations is that the police personnel board can entertain appeals but only recommend a course of action to the mayor or aldermen.
Bass, 50, was hired as Granby police chief in November. He had previously served with the Jasper County Sheriff’s Department until September 2003. He said he has worked in private security during the intervening years.
Looking for a chief
The city of Granby has been taking applications for a new police chief since the departure of Gail Bass. As of Monday, the city had received 14.
Local News
Board votes against reinstating fired chief
- Local News
-
-
City wants to buy weather radios for those without
Phil Jones had been working on a construction project outside his house all day on May 22 and was unaware that a tornado watch had been issued. Once he was inside, though, his weather radio went off, and he learned that a warning had been issued.
-
Architects present preliminary JHS plans at community meeting
Reaction appeared mostly supportive Thursday night among the roughly 50 people who attended a community meeting at which architects presented their preliminary site plans for the future combined Joplin High School and Franklin Technology Center.
-
Confessed shooter testifies against co-defendants in Pittsburg murder case
Rickey Smith testified Thursday that as he came in the back door of Ryan Bailey’s home in Pittsburg with a 9 mm pistol in his hand, Bailey looked up from the couch in his living room.
-
School district’s proposed street-closing plan questioned
Plans to close some streets near the proposed Joplin High School drew questions, including a challenge from a former Joplin mayor, during a public hearing this week.
-
Neosho council approves new golf cart contract
The purchase of golf carts was back on the agenda this week for the Neosho City Council. City Attorney Steve Hays said there were errors in the financing terms that were part of a bid approved last month for the purchase of 55 gas-powered carts from E-Z-Go for $144,195, so the purchase of a new fleet was rebid.
-
Mike Pound: Spirit of competition evident during double-overtime game
When I played basketball in high school, I played in several very close games.
Now, some people who may have known me in high school are probably laughing right now and saying, “What Mike meant to say is that when he was in high school, he came very close to playing in some games.” -
Mo. optometrist filed $40 million refund claim
A southwest Missouri optometrist who filed a tax return claiming a $40 million refund has been sentenced to four years and three months in federal prison.
-
Okla. receives waiver from No Child Left Behind
Oklahoma’s top education official reacted with glee Thursday with the announcement that the state is one of 10 states being granted a waiver from the federal No Child Left Behind law that requires students be proficient in reading and math by 2014 — but focused on getting students to “just pass the tests.”
-
Kan. House approves bipartisan redistricting bill
Power in the Kansas House is likely to shift next year from rural parts of the state to the Kansas City area after members overwhelmingly approved a bipartisan bill Thursday for redrawing their districts.
-
Fugitive in 1993 British heist arrested in Ozark
A man suspected of stealing about $1.5 million from a security van in England in 1993 has been arrested in southwest Missouri.
- More Local News Headlines
-
Obama Gives Education Waivers to 10 States
Giffords Aide to Run for Her Seat
LA School in Sex Abuse Scandal Reopens
Winter Slamming North Asia, Parts of Europe
Syrian Forces Renew Bombardment of Homs
States, Banks Reach Foreclosure-abuse Settlement
Raw Video: Italy's Mount Etna Bursts Into Life
Greeks March; Angry Despite Debt Deal
Raw Video: U.S. Pullout Celebration
Raw Video: Annual Empire State Building Run-Up
Man Killed in Courthouse Shootout
Air Force Airlines: Leaders Get Polished Service
Ga Girl Fights Off Kidnapper at Walmart
Nevada Highway Patrol, City Settle Beating Case
Homs Bombardment Continues, Global Outcry Grows
Raw Video: Dog Rescued From Icy Colo. Water
Skip the Coffee Cup and Inhale Your Caffeine Fix
