News

Marchus speaks to city council

By Scott Wagar

01/03/2012

The Bottineau City Council held its year end meeting Thursday evening and former Bottineau mayor, Mona Marchus, made a request to speak to the council about a number of items, specifically about the treatment of the city employees by certain members of the city’s leadership who have made it appear that they do not trust them in their duties to the city.

In the December council meeting, attempts were made by Brad Gangl and Troy Marsden to make the council consider studying a proposal to install finger printed or computer program time cards, instead of allowing them to just clock-in. Penny Nostdahl, city auditor; Keith Fulsebakke, city superintendent; and the all the city employees felt that Gangl and Marsden were having trust issues with them. However, Gangl and Marsden stated that it was the recommendation of their auditing firm to look into the matter.  

Gangl also asked the council in the meeting to remove the computer networking system out of the auditor’s office and place it in another room in the armory (close to the telephone line). However, Nostdahl stated that she was concerned with the equipment being moved for two reasons. No. 1, she had concerns over security issues with local residents’ sensitive material which comes through her office. And No. 2, individuals ability to get inside the room with the networking equipment so they could observe the auditor and her assistant without their knowledge through the security cameras that are placed in the auditor’s office for their protection.     

“I don’t like to do this sort of thing, and not in a million years did I think I would do this, but things have gone one step too far and I feel compelled to speak,” Marchus said Thursday evening to the council. “I’m here to speak in the defense of Penny, Keith and the city employees. I think this is a really underhanded thing that is happening here. Their integrity has been placed in question and that is very up- setting to me.

“I was the mayor when both Keith and Penny were hired. I hired both of them with the full council approval. They are good people, they are local people, they have done a wonderful job all these years,” Marchus continued to state. “Now, all of a sudden, their integrity is in question and suspicion placed on how they are handling their time cards. I am not happy about this one bit. So publicly, I want to stand before you and say that I support these people. They have done a wonderful job.”

Marchus went on to speak about the auditing firm’s report on the time clocks, where she found misgivings from Gangl and Marsden.

“In the December meeting, it was stated (by Gangl and T. Marsden) that the auditing firm recommended the new time clock system be implemented in the city” she said. “It was not recommended, it was  suggested as a way other cities, entities, or other businesses handle their time card situation, not recommended by them.”
Marchus also thanked Grant Tegastad for taking the lead and voting down the time clock proposal by Gangl and Marsden. However, Marchus added that she saw concern for the future in how this issue was conducted by the council.

“The way it was done worries me because it was stated that it wasn’t the right time now, but it would be considered at a future date. That to me is an unnecessary move,” Marchus said. “Penny and Keith would not do anything dishonest, ever. Therefore, I wish you all would reconsider this and back off on all this.

“I appreciate all Penny and Keith have done. They have gone over, above, beyond the call of duty,” Marchus added. “They have done more than their job specifications and any city in the state of North Dakota would love to have them running the show. I would think twice before ruffling their feathers.”

At that time, Marchus turned her attention to Gangl over a variety of issues she felt he led and was handling inadequately.

“Brad, I understand that it was you behind this (time clocks) and I can’t figure out why you would do this,” Marchus said. “I also feel that it was you behind the problems with the police contract. I also understand it was you that has been riding Penny for years and years and years and have caused her to nearly crack. I also understand that it was you that has ruffled the EDC director’s feathers and that it was you that tried to hack into the city’s computers and into the EDC’s computers.”

Marchus also touch on Gangl going on his own as an employment committee’s member and requesting a report be conducted by the city’s auditing firm over wordage in an employment policy. Gangl’s report request costs the city $2,000, which wasn’t approved by the full council and is now the responsibility of the local taxpayers to pay.

“Brad, I don’t understand why these things are going on. You say you want to do what is in the best interest of this city; and yet, you are destroying things. I don’t understand where it is coming from. Maybe you can explain it to me. Maybe I am way off base here, but things are going in the wrong direction and it’s not for the better of our city.”

Gangl did not speak back to Marchus, nor did he deny or agree with what Marchus said to him.

Marchus then turned to Mayor Doug Marsden and asked him why he was standing by as this “toxic behavior” was taking place. As she went on to speak, D. Marsden interrupted her, but she informed the mayor that she wanted to finish speaking and then he could speak with her later.

However, Marsden continued to speak despite her request.

“As a council member I made the suggestion that Keith have his job,” the mayor said. “I also don’t control any of the council members. And, I have been doing the paychecks for a long time and I do look at them. However, I did not realize that there was a chance that they would be done wrong. I didn’t know that, Mona.

“I don’t think Penny was trying to do anything illegal. I don’t think Keith was trying to do anything illegal. If you talk to Penny, Keith or the city employees I think they will tell you that I have been fair with them as far as wages, as far as hours, as far as time off, you name it. I don’t think that I am a bad person,” Marsden added. “I have this job because I can do this job and I care about this community. But, we have council members, and I don’t care which one it is, if he wants to research on something, I think they have the right to look at things when they are on a committee. Things got out of hand, Mona, on both sides. You know that as much as I do. It just wasn’t one sided.”

Marchus told the mayor that she was on outside looking in, as are the residents of Bottineau, and that he knew more than her or the local residents about what is going on.

“What I do know is that the horse is out of the barn and people are upset. This not a good example,” said Marchus to the mayor, who agreed with her. “You are the one that holds the hammer here. That’s why I am pointing to you.”

She also stated that she was pointing at the entire council for not speaking out during council meetings, especially after committee hearings. She gave the example of the council’s decision on man camps in the December council meeting.

“The man camp issue was a consensus vote, which to me means very little,” she said. “Everybody voted no, no questions were asked, you guys didn’t speak on the pros and cons of a man camp, and there was no mention of forming a committee to look into this. Why are we not thinking along these lines? You guys just voted on it.

“Now, we have a vibe out there to the oil companies that’s negative. You can reopen the issue, but you guys have already sent a negative issue to them,” Marchus added. “Guys, this is a man camp, not a penitentiary we are putting in our midst. Why are we taking a negative action?”

Ron Martin then explained that a committee he sits on was looking at the man camp issue and would take it back to the council.

“That my point,” Marchus said. “You talk about these issues in committee, but not at this table. Not all the people here are at that committee hearing, and you guys have not asked the right questions.”

Marchus finished her talk with the council with a simple request to the aldermen.

“I don’t understand this vindictive mode coming out of this council, and a pattern has been established here,” she said. “I am sorry to Penny, Keith and all the city employees that this has happened to. I would like to end here by saying that if you council members think you have enough money to invest in cheap time card systems; if you think you have enough money where you can authorize reports to the tune of $2,000; and if you think you have enough money to move the computers from the auditor’s office to another room in the armory, I think you have enough money to really, seriously think about a healthy raise to these people who work for us.”

Marchus was a city council member from 1978 to 1982. She was the mayor of Bottineau from 1982 to 1990.   

The next city council meeting is tonight (Tuesday, Jan. 3) at 7 p.m. at the City Armory.