BY ANDY  TAYLOR
Montgomery County Chronicle

INDEPENDENCE — County commissioners on Monday denied reinstatement of Wilbur Schwatken, former coordinator of Montgomery County Rural Fire District #1, to that position following a grievance hearing held last week.
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BY ANDY TAYLOR
Montgomery County Chronicle

INDEPENDENCE — Montgomery County commissioners faced numerous questions from an 89-year-old resident Monday concerning the recent dismissal of Wilbur Schwatken, Jr., as the Montgomery County rural fire coordinator.

Adolph Wildgrube, a lifelong Montgomery County resident now living in an Independence elderly care facility, pressed commissioners for details about their direction for the Montgomery County Rural Fire District #1. On April 20, Schwatken was not reappointed to his rural fire coordinator’s position. Following that meeting, commissioner Tony Fowler indicated that Schwatken’s dismissal was based on the commission’s desire to see the director’s position in a “different direction.”

Wildgrube wanted to know specifically what that “direction” would entail. Commissioners didn’t reveal many details.

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BY ANDY TAYLOR

INDEPENDENCE — Attempts to reappointment Wilbur Schwatken, Jr., as rural fire coordinator failed to garner majority support by Montgomery County commissioners on two different occasions at Monday’s meeting of the Montgomery County Commission.

Commissioners met with members of the Montgomery County Rural Fire District #1 board of directors on Monday — just two weeks after commissioners Fred Brown and Tony Fowler chose not to reappoint Schwatken to his rural fire coordinator position for 2009. Commissioner Larry McManus presented the initial motion to reappoint Schwatken at the April 20 meeting,  and he offered the same motion (on two occasions) at Monday’s meeting. However, Fowler and Brown chose not to second McManus’ motions, thereby killing the issue.
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BY ANDY TAYLOR
Montgomery County Chronicle

INDEPENDENCE — Montgomery County commissioners learned Monday that a formal grievance had been filed against them by the Montgomery County Rural Fire District #1 board of directors. The grievance stems from the recent dismissal of Wilbur Schwatken, Jr., fire district coordinator.

In speaking to the commission at its weekly meeting, Randy Haymaker, who is chief of the Dearing division of the Montgomery County Rural Fire Department, said the grievance was being filed to get answers from the commission regarding Schwatken’s dismissal. At the commission’s April 20 meeting, commissioner Larry McManus offered a motion to reappoint Schwatken as fire district coordinator. The motion failed for lack of a second by commissioners Tony Fowler or Fred Brown, thereby automatically ending Schwatken’s tenure as fire district coordinator.

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BY ANDY TAYLOR
Montgomery County Chronicle

The chairman of the Montgomery County Rural Fire District’s board of directors says the Montgomery County Commission ignored a recommendation from the fire board calling for the reappointment of department coordinator Wilbur Schwatken.

County commissioners on Monday chose to not reappoint Schwatken to his role of rural fire department coordinator. Commissioner Larry McManus presented a motion to reappoint Schwatken, however his motion failed to garner any further support from commissioners Tony Fowler or Fred Brown, thereby resulting in a dead motion. Therefore, Schwatken’s reappointment automatically failed.

All other department chief reappointments were approved by the commission.

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Montgomery County Commission chairman Tony Fowler on Wednesday would not provide details about the commission’s reason to not reappoint Wilbur Schwatken, rural fire district coordinator.

However, Fowler, who has been commissioner for two years and was named chairman in January, says the commission has new goals and vision for the rural fire director position.

Fowler said he could not talk specifically about Schwatken’s dismissal. However, he did refute claims that the commission did not consider the recommendation of the Montgomery County Rural Fire District board of directors, which voted unanimously to recommend Schwatken’s reappointment.

“As far as the firefighting side, we do listen to the fire board carefully and have never said “no” to any budget request,” said Fowler. “But as far as the administrative side, we feel that it’s something quite simply where the director position needs to be put in a different direction.”

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