Two longtime Mehlville Fire Protection District employees have been fired for what Mehlville officials term a violation of the district’s anti-harassment policy.

In separate votes during a closed session Friday, the Board of Directors unanimously agreed to terminate Bob Strinni, a firefighter and president of Local 1889 of the International Association of Fire Fighters, and Jeri Fleschert, a paramedic and secretary of the Local 1889 Executive Board.

“The board took four separate votes in closed session with regard to ongoing personnel matters, and at that time, the board unanimously voted to terminate Robert Strinni and Jeri Fleschert for a violation of the district anti-harassment policy,” said Mathew Hoffman, the fire district’s legal counsel.

Strinni has been employed by the district since February 1994 while Fleschert has been employed by Mehlville since August 1985.

During the closed session, the Board of Directors — Chairman Aaron Hilmer, Treasurer Bonnie Stegman and Secretary Ed Ryan — also unanimously agreed in separate votes to suspend firefighter John Schindler for one day without pay for an unspecified violation of district policy and firefighter John Lipina for two days without pay for an unspecified violation of district policy.

Schindler has been employed by the district since November 1980 while Lipina has been employed by Mehlville since January 2001.

Contacted Monday afternoon, Strinni declined to comment and referred the Call to Louie Wright, 2nd District president for the IAFF. Wright was unavailable for comment before the Call’s press time.

John Goffstein, an attorney representing Local 1889, told the Call Monday afternoon that he believes the Hilmer administration is “corrupt.”

“… I’m not going to try the case in the newspapers and certainly not on all due respect to the Call. I mean, they’ve been a shill newspaper for the Hilmer administration. I’m certainly not going to try it or talk much to you all for that reason,” he said. “I don’t consider you an unbiased publication — no disrespect, that’s just the way it is.

“You’ve done a great job reporting, but you don’t set editorial policy and if you did, I’m not sure there’d be any difference.

“… I think it’s a corrupt administration. I think the filing is clearly discriminatory. I think that there’s no question that the employees will — in my mind — I think the employees will prevail when it’s over. I think the Hilmer administration will be history by the time it’s over, but … I’ll leave that to the voters and I will leave it to judge and jury. Other than that, I’ve got no comment other than to say I’m not surprised. I don’t put any bad deed past those people …,” Goffstein said.

The Board of Directors voted unanimously in an April 22 open session to adopt a resolution stating an investigation has been initiated “into personnel issues pertaining to workplace intimidation and harassment … Each and every employee of the Mehlville Fire Protection District shall comply with said investigation. If not, each employee may face discipline up to and including termination.”

Board members also voted unanimously April 22 to hire Metro Security to assist in the investigation at a cost of $75 per hour.

During an April 22 closed session, board members voted unanimously to suspend two employees with pay pending the outcome of the investigation. At the time, Hoffman declined to release the names of the two, saying no final action had been taken by the board regarding the employees.

During a May 8 closed session, board members voted unanimously to suspend two employees without pay pending the outcome of the investigation. The names of the two again were not released because no final action had been taken by the board.

Hoffman told the Call Monday that Strinni and Fleschert were the employees suspended with pay April 22 and without pay May 8.

“The two employees that were terminated were the subject of the prior suspensions both with and without pay, respectively. They are the same people,” Hoffman said.

Though Strinni declined to comment for this article, he was critical last week of the board’s decision to issue a request for proposals for an employment consultant to perform a management audit and cultural analysis of the district.

The board voted unanimously Friday to accept a proposal from McGrath Consulting Group Inc. of Wonder Lake, Ill., pending the approval of a contract.

Strinni also had termed the investigation into workplace intimidation and harassment “a witch hunt.”

Of the investigation, Strinni previously said, “… I want to watch what I say because naturally I feel that they’re trying to come after people wrongfully and I think it’s my personal opinion that it’s a witch hunt …”

The union president also had contended the board did not follow proper procedures for the investigation as outlined in the district’s Employee Manual of Policies and Procedures, or EMoPP.

“They definitely didn’t follow their own EMoPP when they’re doing this investigation,” he previously said. “That’s for sure … I mean if you look at that thing, they sure didn’t follow it and they wrote it. We didn’t have anything to do with it.”

Of the action taken by the board Friday, Hoffman said, “The board is hopeful that the investigation and the subsequent action will allow the district to move forward with regard to these matters.”

Asked about the board’s votes to terminate Strinni and Fleschert, Hilmer told the Call, “While I can’t comment on the specifics of their dismissal, I can say it had nothing to do with their union activities.”

The board is looking to move the district forward,” he said.

“… What we are focused on is the future and that’s why we are looking to sign a contract with this consulting firm to take the district forward in a positive light. We’re interested in working with employees who are interested in building up the district for the benefit of the employees and the residents,” Hilmer said.

“However, if a few employees are still interested in tearing down the district, their services will no longer be required. I think sometimes there’s this mischaracterization of a government employee that once you get your job, it’s a job for life no matter how you perform or how you treat people. Well, that’s not how business is being done at the Mehlville Fire District.”

Asked if the investigation was finished, Hilmer said, “There’s a couple more rocks we want to look under, but, yeah, we’re nearing the end of it.”