Tensions bubbled to the surface during the reports of officers and committees section of the Green Park Board of Aldermen’s Aug. 19 meeting when Ward 1 Alderman Mike Broughton took the floor, requesting that the city enroll him in an impeachment webinar hosted by the Missouri Municipal League.

Broughton explained that he had emailed City Clerk Theresa Pfyl and Deputy City Clerk Diane DeLonjay that morning to enroll him in the virtual course, as well as pay the $20 enrollment fee, though according to him, neither Pfyl or DeLonjay “were able to expend any money.”

“So that leaves you,” Broughton said to Mayor Tim Thuston. “Do you want to give one of them approval to go ahead?”

Thuston inquired what the course was about, as the Municipal League hosts a variety of webinars on various topics regarding city government, to which Broughton replied “pertaining to municipal impeachments.”

“Is that something you need?” Thuston said.

“Yeah, it’s something I’m interested in,” Broughton said.

Broughton, who has served as Green Park’s Ward 1 alderman nearly continuously since 2015, has challenged Thuston on two separate occasions for the mayoral post in 2021 and 2023.

The other five members of the board were then given the floor to decide whether the city should pay for the course. Broughton insisted that the city has always paid for these types of courses. However, others seemed to believe that was not the case, arguing that the city does pay for required training classes for newly elected officials to learn how to participate in local government, not elective courses.  

That was discussed at length until Thuston finally suggested that if Broughton wants to take the course, he should pay the $20 himself, as Ward 2 Alderman Ron Slattery and former city administrator/city clerk James Mello paid for classes they attended in the past. 

The board then moved on. However, the topic was brought up again during the miscellaneous portion of the evening right before adjournment when Ward 3 Alderman Marty Finn asked if the city had anything in writing about “continuing education” regarding who pays for what. Upon finding out it does not, he requested that some guidelines be brought before the board next month.

“Just in case this comes up again, then we’re not spending 20 minutes on $20,” Finn said.