Help wanted: Nevada City Manager Craig Hubler resigns

The city of Nevada needs a new city manager. Craig Hubler, who has served as Nevada's city manager since 1999, turned in his resignation to the outgoing city council; making it effective prior to the swearing in of new council members elected last Tuesday.

Until the city council fills the position permanently, economic development director and assistant city manager Sam Foursha will be serving as acting city manager.

During Monday morning's special council meeting, scheduled to certify the April 4 municipal election results, Nevada's city attorney Bill McCaffree hand-delivered Hubler's resignation to the city council before the election results were certified.

"It was effective at midnight last night," McCaffree said.

Hubler couldn't be reached Monday afternoon for comment. His letter was not released by the city pending legal evaluation as to whether it is a protected personnel document.

The council voted 5-0 to accept Hubler's resignation, before adopting Resolution No. 1152 certifying that Dr. Russell Kemm, William Gillette and Richard Meyers had been elected to the city council. Following the swearing in of the new councilmen by Julie Lewis, city clerk, the old council adjourned.

The new council --which consists of Jim Rayburn and Bill Edmonds, plus the newly elected councilmen -- immediately convened a special meeting and elected Jim Rayburn, mayor and Bill Edmonds, mayor pro-tem.

After a five-minute break, the group went into a lengthy executive session with Bill McCaffree, city clerk Julie Lewis and Ron Chandler, city treasurer and finance director, to "discuss hiring, firing, disciplining or promoting of particular employees."

So far, no specific items discussed during the meeting have been disclosed. Items relating to the specific performance of particular employees discussed during executive session are not public record; however, any votes taken or decisions made must be disclosed within 72 hours under the Missouri Sunshine Law.

The three new council members were elected amidst turmoil and intense public disapproval from a group calling themselves "concerned citizens" over recent activity at city hall relating to the handling of personnel issues, animal control and animal shelter issues, dissension over a fire apparatus and more.

Hubler became city manager in November 1999, following the death of Wayne Neal.

During more than six years as Nevada's city manager, he oversaw establishment of a citywide wireless Internet network that will eventually allow city workers to access city records and the Internet from the field, the reorganization of the city government and the arrival of five new manufacturing businesses in Nevada in 2003. The police dispatch facility has also recently been upgraded to an E-911 system.

Thorco and InSite Support Services were expansions of existing businesses and are doing well. Green Forest Engineered Products and Precision Aero Services were start-up companies and are beginning to grow.

Fortner Precision Graphics, Focal Dairy and Prairie Pride, a biodiesel production facility, have located offices in the area.

Sutherlands and Orschlen have opened new stores in town.

During his tenure Hubler was also a lighting rod for criticism, being sued twice by Joe Kraft over the sale of the Ozark Building, as well as being accused of engaging in deficit spending and countenancing excessive travel spending by Marie Wessley to attend Missouri Municipal League and National League of Cities meetings. He was also criticized for excessive travel by himself and Sam Foursha for economic development purposes.

One of the trips to Washington, D.C., led to Precision Aero Services becoming a mentor business of Boeing.

In 2004 the city was the subject of a petition audit spearheaded by Joe Kraft looking at these expenditures as well as other areas of city operation. There was also a separate audit looking at a $40,000 misappropriation of city funds that ended in no charges being filed because of a lack of evidence. The loss of money was discovered by the city finance department and turned over to the Vernon County Sheriff's Office, the Vernon County prosecutor and the Missouri State Highway Patrol for investigation, which asked the state auditor to assist with the investigation. This audit showed some problems in the way the city handled money and those problems had been addressed, according to Hubler.

More recently, two former police officers named Hubler and police chief Christine Keim as defendants in a lawsuit alleging violation of the officers' First Amendment rights. That case is currently pending in federal court.