Town of Logan Still Searching for Answers Over Firings - FOX 42: Omaha News, Sports and Weather; kptm.com |

Curt Casper

LOGAN, IOWA (KPTM) – Many in the town of Logan, Iowa still wants to know why both the city clerk and city attorney were fired.

City Clerk Angela Winther and City Attorney Joe Lauterbach were fired during an emergency meeting on Friday night. Monday the city council voted to start searching for a new city clerk and city attorney.

The city council has not said why the two were fired but said once they seek legal counsel, they will tell the public.

Some in the town believe both were fired because they supported the clean up of Milliman Park.

In March, an Eagle Scout and members of the Kiwanis club wanted to restore hiking trails in the area.

However, Samantha Johnson, who is city councilman Skip Johnson's wife, spoke out against working on the trails to soon. She told FOX 42 News she wants the process to go through the proper channels. The Councilman has yet to comment about the park, but many believe he is against it, which has sparked a lot of emotion.

"As far as I am concerned what the city council did was illegal from the beginning," said town resident Mike Johnson.

But Fox 42 News was able to get a hold of emails from Winther's work account that was sent to Lauterbach.

The content of those emails talk mostly about what actions need to be taken to videotape council meetings.

"I know there is no law against someone video or audio taping a council meeting. The council has continued to disregard the advice of both you and the Ombudsman's office in their behavior."

The emails also make comments directed toward the city council.

"1/01/14 can't come soon enough! That will be when Johnson has been removed from office."

"Let me know what you think about the taping and subsequent replaying on the access channel. Then pray for our sanity! Ha ha."

Winther did confirm with Fox 42 News that she wrote the emails. She said over the phone that those emails were all work related, but would not comment about the statements she made about the city council. She also said that she doesn't think the emails went far enough for her to be dismissed.

Fox 42 News was also able to get a bill statement from Salvo, Deren, Schenck & Lauterbach, P.C. that shows those emails were costing the city thousands of dollars.

Winther said the amount of the bill was not high and was around the same amount from previous years.

Again, the Logan City Council has not confirmed why both were fired. Logan City Mayor Randy Fetter tells Fox 42 News he has not been told why either.

People we spoke with on Tuesday say the emails are not enough to get someone fired.

"And she may have written things that she shouldn't have in the emails,  but I think her intentions were honorable to the fact that she was looking out for the people of Logan," Mike Johnson said.