Mayor disciplines chief, clerk on final days on job

The final days of Mayor Tony Brown’s administration in Troy were a rousing affair, including multiple reprimands and what one city councilperson called a boycott of City Council meetings. With a new mayor and two new City Council members prepared to be sworn in, one last round of in-fighting marked the administration’s final chapter.

On Monday morning, Councilman Joe Arts interrupted a meeting between Mayor Brown, City Attorney Heather McDougall and a union representative for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

“I went in there and screamed that they were has-beens,” Arts said.

Arts crashed the meeting after learning that Troy Police Chief Bob McLeod was going to be reprimanded for not writing letters to the owners of junk cars to notify them of potential violations of a city ordinance. According to Brown, the group was not discussing McLeod when Arts barged in.

“I asked four times for something to be done about those junk cars,” Brown said. “I wanted to remind him that you have to follow through on things and not just do what you want. He dragged his feet on this. It was a verbal reprimand and it was documented, signed and recorded.”

The reprimand reads, “Throughout his tenure, Mayor Brown has requested that Chief McLeod send letters to get junk vehicles out of people’s yards. Mayor Brown feels very little was done in the way of clearing the town with junk vehicles.” More tickets and letters are listed under “corrective action.”

According to McLeod, the meeting was documented upon his request.

“They said it was just verbal, and I said I needed a copy of that,” McLeod said. “I’m absolutely going to appeal this. I have contacted at least seven people about the ordinance. It is not our procedure to write letters, we talk to people in person. I got to prioritize. I have 30 cases I’m working on. Should I take care of the Peterson case or write letters about junk cars? Now I’m spending time on my own defense.”

McLeod was not the only city official to be reprimanded in the final days before mayor-elect Darren Coldwell takes the reins at 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 2. City clerk Tracy Rebo was also verbally reprimanded.

“I came down to City Hall on Dec. 20 and I saw a sign saying it was closed from 11:30 a.m. through 1:30 p.m. (Dec. 20),” Brown said. “I didn’t know about that. We had a party scheduled the next day where we spend $400 buying prime rib for everyone at the Silver Spur.”

According to Rebo, the closure of City Hall for the city employee potluck is standard fare. In her 12 years with the city, there has always been a party. City Hall has closed for the event during the past couple of years.

“I didn’t think I did anything wrong,” Rebo said. “Everyone gets invited who is a city employee. The mayor is not a city employee. I guess next year I will ask the mayor if it is alright to close.”

Brown said he did not attend the Silver Spur event, citing disgust.

“After the election everyone went back to their old bad habits,” Brown said. “They think they can get away with whatever they want. It is arrogant and decadent.”

Rebo does not plan to appeal her reprimand.

The personnel matters follow a City Council meeting that didn’t happen. The Dec. 27 meeting was cancelled after only two of the four city councilmembers showed up, failing to create a quorum. Councilwoman Fran McCully and Councilman Phil Fisher waited with Mayor Brown as Councilman Arts and Councilwoman Crystal Denton did not attend. Denton said she was hosting out-of-town visitors at her Troy home during the meeting, and Arts cited a stomach issue. Brown and McCully both questioned the veracity of Arts’ claimed ailments.

“I did not want to go to that meeting, and I found it needful for me to stay by the bathroom,” Arts said. “I’m 67 years old, and it is what it is. I don’t care if they believe me or not.”

The issue of paying Chief McLeod’s legal fees for his successful Public Safety Officers Standards and Training Council defense was listed on the meeting’s agenda. The matter will now be handled after Coldwell takes over as mayor.

“I will be upset if the city has to pay for his out-of-pocket fees,” Brown said. “The code seems to say we only need to pay for civil actions.”

City Attorney Heather McDougall said in an email that Brown was referring to Montana Code Annotated 2-9-305. She also said she was researching whether she was conflicted in providing Troy with legal advice since she, along with McCully, testified against McLeod as a character witness.

“I absolutely feel like they were boycotting until the new administration comes in,” McCully said in reference to Arts and Denton. “They were making assumptions about how we would vote.”

McCully is not in favor of paying McLeod’s legal fees.

“It comes down to when is he going to own up for it,” McCully said. “At what point do you quit taking care of city employees and take care of the citizens of Troy?”

McLeod’s legal fees are approximately $24,000. He was defended by Pat Flaherty of Flaherty Law Office in Great Falls.