By Steve Swyers – Chesterfield, Missouri – April 20, 2015

Effective immediately, I resign as a member of the Monarch Fire Protection District Board of Directors, a position to which I was elected in April 2011.

My decision to resign today is rooted in the falsehoods, half truths, misinformation, creation of an unhealthy work environment, and what I believe to be misuse of public funds by Monarch Board President Robin Harris and Board Secretary Jane Cunningham.

For these reasons, I have considered resigning from the Board for more than a year. Recently, I read the Monarch district newsletter distributed by U.S. mail on April 3, 2015. It was essentially a campaign promotion for Robin Harris, who was running for re-election to the Board in the April 7 election. That same day I read a newspaper advertisement placed by Monarch Fire Chief Chuck Marsonette that berated Monarch firefighters and paramedics. It was the last straw.

I had no hand in preparing these communications as a member of the Board.  I heard Robin Harris admit on KMOX Radio that the newsletter cost taxpayers $20,000. Later, I learned that the newspaper advertisement cost nearly $1,900. This is just wrong!

I no longer wish to be associated with their business style and their political rhetoric, as it has only created an environment of distrust and negativity.

For example, in print and website communications paid for with taxpayer dollars, Harris and Cunningham lied to or spoke half truths to Monarch citizens by claiming that Monarch firefighters and paramedics are calling for a $33 million bond issue.

As a member of the Monarch Board since April 2011 until my resignation today, I can assert with assurance that this claim is false. There is no movement for a $33 million bond issue by the firefighters or anybody else at Monarch — and there never was such a movement in my Board tenure.

Harris also said, “The Monarch budget is balanced, as required by state law. We…are maintaining a 40 percent reserve.”

That statement does not represent all the facts. It is correct that budgets must be balanced, but when expenses exceed revenues a budget is balanced by making “budget adjustments,” which means borrowing from reserves created by prior generations of taxpayers.

Since 2012 the Monarch Board has tapped reserves by $851,000, causing reserves to decline to their current level of 40 percent. This is not sustainable!

Harris also said that Monarch firefighters and paramedics are:

·         “Already among the highest paid in the country”

·         “(Filed lawsuits) in an attempt to control the operations” and that “The District has been successful in most cases”

·         “Use tactics to frighten people”

Those statements by Mr. Harris are simply not true.

Harris’ and Cunningham’s falsehoods and constant degradation and ridicule of Monarch firefighters and paramedics are damaging morale. It is impossible to maintain trust in such an environment.

In my opinion, Harris and Cunningham are using Monarch firefighters and paramedics as reasons for all the problems that exist in the Monarch fire protection district. I believe that Harris and Cunningham need only to look in a mirror to see the root cause for many of the existing problems.

The environment of false claims, misinformation, misuse of public funds and negativity perpetuated by Harris and Cunningham throughout the fire department is counter-productive for the Monarch Fire Protection District.

Steve Swyers – Chesterfield, Missouri – April 20, 2015