Details of illegal meeting revealed

By PHYLLIS ZORN

Staff writer

A former county bridge supervisor confronted county commissioners Tuesday about a bridge inspection trip he claimed constituted an illegal meeting.

Larry Cushenbery had his say about the way commissioners do business at the end of the meeting, following a 20-minute executive session called to discuss potential litigation.

“I am completely tired of seeing corruption justified, excused and flaunted, and the people exposing it being slandered, insulted, and my case losing their job because of it,” Cushenbery said.

Cushenbery was fired in June.

Cushenbery reminded commissioner Randy Dallke of a meeting when bridges were inspected and discussed, but the press was not permitted to hear commissioners’ discussion.

“Wouldn’t it be a violation of open meeting law when (a reporter) was denied to ride with the commissioners to look at bridges, and in between, bridges were discussed?” Cushenbery said.

“I have no comment at this time,” Dallke said.

Cushenbery also said he was given no reason for his termination by road and bridge superintendent Jesse Hamm, but Hamm’s father posted on social media he was fired for insubordination.

“If it was for that reason, I have a hard time understanding why all of the job performance evaluations I had received stated that the one thing that was appreciated was that I did everything I was told to do without a lot of arguing,” Cushenbery said.

Cushenbery said he was denied the opportunity to take a lower pay grade job, but the county recently hired three road graders with no experience.

“These are a few of many that I have documentation on,” Cushenbery said. “So you see there is actually a reason that people think there is corruption behind almost every endeavor.”

Commissioner Dianne Novak said she’d like to talk with Hamm.

County clerk Tina Spencer said she thought it was improper.

“It’s a past decision and the past is past,” Spencer said.

County counsel Susan Robson told Spencer that Novak could talk to Hamm, but no decisions can be made during that discussion.

“We’ve got qualified people who are applying, and they’re not even being given an interview,” Novak said.