Bowker resigns from FMHA commission

FORT MADISON – Another crazy twist in the saga that is unfolding at the Fort Madison Housing Authority came about Wednesday afternoon at a special meeting at Hillview Village.

Commission chairman Rebecca Bowker abruptly announced her resignation to the media following the adjournment of the five-minute meeting that was called to vote on suspending Executive Director Mike Dear and a maintenance staffer.

The two were on the agenda for a motion to suspend pending an administrative review. There was no agenda item for a closed session under Iowa Code section 21.5(i) to discuss the subject of the possible suspensions.

Executive Director Mike Dear was in attendance and addressed an audience of about 30 residents, thanking them for their support and the support of the staff who was also in attendance.

Bowker said there would be no public comment due to the nature of the agenda.

“Due to the nature of the meeting, we will not be taking public comments from anyone in the audience. We are just going to move forward with meeting,” Bowker said.

"Due to recent facts that have come to light and the need for possible administrative action, these motions are brought before the board.”

There was no motion offered to suspend Dear, but board member Jamie Carle made a motion to table the item. Board member Carmen Salazar seconded the motion. There was no discussion period following the motion and second and Bowker went straight to a vote.

Carle and Salazar voted in favor of tabling the issue, but Bowker voted against the motion to table. With only two of the four current board members voting in favor of tabling it, Bowker said the motion to table failed, but the agenda item was never returned to.

Board member Jenny Divine was not yet on the meeting via Zoom, but the board had a quorum to start the meeting without her.

Divine joined the meeting after the first vote to table, and Bowker went straight to the next agenda item which was to suspend a maintenance worker pending an investigation into his hiring.

Carle voted again to table the issue and Salazar seconded that motion as well. That motion to table was approved 3-1 with Divine voting to table the motion, as well.

After that, Bowker adjourned the meeting. Dear asked if he was going to able to speak but Bowker had adjourned the meeting.

After the meeting when asked about the administrative procedure of not revisiting the first agenda item, since only a motion to table the issue had been voted on, Bowker confirmed that vote to table had failed.

“That motion failed, and you can add that I’m submitting my resignation effective immediately,” she said.

Bowker then sent out an email confirming her immediate resignation at 3:27 p.m.

After the meeting, Carle and Salazar said they would be looking for guidance from the city going forward but would have to reset the board meeting and address the issues still pending.

“Well, she’s resigned so we’re going to have to get back together and appoint a new chair,” Carle said.

He said then the commission is going to have to address the two agenda items, because one was tabled and the other had no action taken.

Bowker is the second commission member in the last two days to resign. Linda Larkin who was just appointed to the commission by Mayor Matt Mohrfeld, resigned Monday.

Dear, who’s been with the authority for just over four months, said the issue had to do with him hiring a maintenance person with a felony record. But the authority bylaws do not require a background check for employees. They also give Dear hiring authority with direction by the commission.

The only bylaws the authority could uncover when requested Tuesday by Pen City Current are from 1972 when the authority was formed. The job description for Dear is currently on the city’s website, but is different than the description given by the authority.

Shirley Rende, a resident of Hillview Village, said Dear hasn’t been on the job long enough to be in a position where he understands the ins and outs of the housing authority.

“This man’s only been here four months. He can’t possibly all know the ropes here yet. And I think they're using him as (scape) goat. I think someone else’s involved and they are using him,” she said.

Dear said the support of the residents proves that he’s doing a good job and hiring and firing is at his discretion. Dear didn’t know Bowker had resigned after the meeting.

“Because of this right here. There it is…There it is,” Dear said of the support in the room.

“We’re going to continue operating as normal.”

Dear said what happened in the room spoke to his work so far.

“What took place in here speaks for itself. There was a narrative about me showing a man grace. A man who’s served his time. All of us have shown grace at some level. This individual I chose to hire. He did his time and got the help he needed, and I showed him grace. That’s what this is about. I don’t want that to be lost in the shuffle,” Dear said.

“I would do that ten out of ten times. If I could fall on that sword to show a man grace 10 times, I would do that.”

Commission members for the Housing Authority are appointed by Mayor Matt Mohrfeld and voted on by the Fort Madison City Council.

The Housing Authority was recently audited by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The audit uncovered federal funds that had been used to pay for work on county-owned property.

HUD recommended the board end the contract for managing the county properties, which the board did at their next regular meeting.

Now the county owns and manages the properties, seven of which are in Fort Madison. County supervisors voted this week to look into the options around selling or gifting the property to another public or private entity.

The sale of the property could result in many of those getting housing assistance being displaced. But the issue has been placed with a county building committee that is going to discuss the issue Thursday at 3 p.m.