EDITORIAL: Answers needed from Girard council

A government should be accountable to its people. The political buzzword on this issue is “transparency.” But what it comes down to is knowing what caused decisions to be made, minimizing closed-door discussions, and being open and forthright about issues facing the government, no matter what level — federal, state, county or city. It’s about trust.

Which is why a decision this week by the Girard City Council struck us as breaking that trust.

The short story is that Girard “terminated” fire chief Dustin Johnson, and there’s no real explanation.

The long story has more to it. Officially, Johnson was fired “for cause.” Unofficially, all the public knows is that it might have something to do with the Fireman’s Relief Association Fund.

A special city council meeting was called on March 28 to discuss and review information and documents regarding Johnson and this fund. Several members of the fire department, including the assistant fire chief, spoke up on behalf of Johnson. After a one-hour executive session (a legal, closed-door meeting), the Girard council suspended Johnson without pay until further notice, pending results from an investigation.

On Monday, the saga took another turn, as the council later went into a series of three 30-minute executive sessions to discuss “personnel issues.” Following those sessions, they made a motion and fired Johnson “for cause.”

The cause, they said, would be communicated by City Attorney Richard Loffswold to Johnson. We wish it would be communicated to the public.

Because at this point, there are more questions than there are answers. Without knowing why Johnson was fired, the city residents are being left in the dark. That the council fired someone is not the issue. They are within their rights to do so. But if they are to do so, at least a minimal explanation beyond “there is a reason, we just can’t tell you” is called for, especially under these circumstances.

What do we know? We know Johnson was originally investigated for something related to the Fireman’s Relief Association Fund.

Fireman’s Relief Association Funds, according to the Kansas Firefighter Relief Act, can be used to pay for the relief of firefighters injured or disabled while on the job, pay for death benefits and funeral expenses of firefighters killed in the line of duty, help pay for group life or accident/health insurance for those in the organization, or pay for pensions of veteran firefighters and annuities for active veteran volunteer firefighters.

Again, Johnson was investigated for something related to this fund. Why was he investigated? We don’t know. What was discovered during the course of the investigation? That was behind closed doors. What prompted the suspension and firing? No one will say. Girard Mayor Maurice Harley said Thursday that he considered the matter concluded and that no further information would be coming, which is a shame.

But really, there are only two possibilities in this case: Either Johnson was found to have done something illegal or immoral with the fund, or he wasn’t.

Both of these options prompt further questions.

Hypothetically, let’s say Johnson did something wrong in regard to the fund. In that case, why would his fellow firefighters speak on his behalf at the council meeting? What did he do that was wrong enough to prompt termination? If he did something illegal, are charges pending?

If someone is fired for cause, it is inherently in the public interest to know what that cause is. The public, through its taxes, have been funding the Girard Fire Department. The public deserves to know what caused the council to suspend and fire him, yet prompted other firefighters to show up in his support.
Let’s also go down the other hypothetical road: Imagine Johnson wasn’t found guilty of any wrongdoing with the fund. Then there is an obvious question: Why was he suspended and fired? If it has nothing to do with the firefighter’s fund, then shouldn’t the public know the true reason?

This story isn’t over. The public deserves to know the truth behind Johnson’s termination. The Girard City Council isn’t talking. Neither is Johnson.

When basic questions have no answer, the public will tend to fill in the blanks on its own. A lack of information leads to suspicion and more questions — what are they hiding? Surely there is some reason Johnson was fired. Without knowing the reason, it could be that the council acted in error, ignoring the support of those closest to Johnson — his fellow firefighters.

The Girard City Council is directly accountable to the residents of Girard. It’s time the council gives an account to its residents of what happened. It’s time to determine if the fault lay with Johnson or with the city council. Without an answer, it’s hard to tell.

Andrew Nash, for the Morning Sun