ELKHORN, Wis. — Nearly a dozen people spoke at Elkhorn's Common Council meeting Monday night, calling on city leaders to be transparent, have better communication, and take accountability.
These calls come after TMJ4's Chief Investigative Reporter Jenna Rae's investigative series 'Understaffed and Under Fire'. The series exposed long-standing issues inside the Elkhorn Area Fire Department (EAFD).
You can watch that series here.
The series has aired over the last several weeks, as EAFD employees came forward to blow the whistle on what they say is happening inside the fire department.
For a month, TMJ4's Jenna Rae has been requesting interviews from Elkhorn city leaders to ask questions. They've repeatedly denied, but say they're now willing to sit down for an interview this week.
Monday, several firefighters, former EAFD staff, and taxpayers from Elkhorn and the other municipalities that pay for the EAFD filled Elkhorn's Common Council meeting and spoke during public comment.
"This city single-handedly ruined the fire service for me," former EAFD firefighter Abigail Gavahan said.
Gavahan said she has a long history with the fire department. Her father worked at the department before her, and she was excited to follow in his footsteps. However, she said the city of Elkhorn made it impossible for her and other staff to adequately do their jobs.
"This is a matter of life and death. It is by God's grace alone that we have not had something fatal happen to a patient or to one of our own members," EAFD Paramedic Jess Nicikowski said Monday.
Nicikowski is one of the four paramedics on EAFD's staff. She has repeatedly voiced concerns about the safety of the people they treat and the department's own staff.
"The current path is not sustainable. Public safety decisions cannot be made in isolation, behind closed doors, or only in reaction to public pressure, Miss Jenna in the corner," EAFD Fire Fighter Matthew Whitting said as he pointed to Rae, who attended the meeting.
Nicikowski, Whitting and several other current EAFD staff members have continued to come to Elkhorn Common Council meetings to have their voices heard.
"I'm disappointed in what seems to be a lack of transparency," taxpayer Ellen Holly said.
Holly said she doesn't live in the Elkhorn city limits, but pays taxes to the very fire department in question. She said she's happy to pay taxes, but wants to know where the money is going to ensure she has adequate fire and EMS services.
"As citizens, we ask that the city swallow its ego and pride, look at the facts, and ask the hard questions. Especially when the answer shows that there are things that the city could do better," former EAFD staff and current taxpayer Paul Kubiak said.
City leaders, per state statute, don't have to respond to public comment if an item mentioned isn't on the agenda.
However, one item on Monday night's agenda was addressed several times during public comment: a closed session to discuss yet another pay raise for Elkhorn's City Administrator, Adam Swann.
Swann's one of the leaders TMJ4 has been trying to get answers from over the last month.
"When you go into closed session to review the city administrator, you call for a vote of no confidence. You all need to do better," Whitting said.
"I'm wondering if this is the time for double-digit raises for administrators, because if there's money for that sort of expenditure, which is not as direct a service as fire department is, as police department is, I would question that," Holly posed to city leaders.
"We shouldn't be doling out any type of raises. The administrator's lost the town of Lafayette, he has seen continued, continued turnover at the fire house," resident Mike Recklies echoed.
Even a former Elkhorn Alderwoman addressed the council on this.
"It's become very obvious that he's missing the boat on communication with staff and with his subordinates. You guys, come on, wake up, run it as a business, and not a good old boys club," former Alderwoman Kim DeHaan said.
Since TMJ4's investigations have been airing, while declining on-camera interview requests, the city of Elkhorn has put out several press releases on Facebook in response to our coverage.
Watch: Firefighters, former city employees and taxpayers ask Elkhorn city leaders for transparency and accountability
Tuesday, we reached out to Elkhorn's Mayor, Tim Shiroda, Administrator Swann and Common Council President Gary Payson Jr. for comment on these concerns raised in Monday's meeting.
On the phone, Shiroda told TMJ4 News that the city has posted a great deal of information on the internet [referencing the posts on Facebook], and for some people who have spoken during public comment, city leaders have reached out to them and offered to meet with them. Shiroda said some people have taken leaders up on that offer, and some have not. Shiroda also said the council has complete confidence in Swann and gave him a one-step increase in his salary.
Swann sent us a more than 1,700-word email back and said he disagreed with the questions we posed from people who spoke during public, and said he's been transparent and that his merit-based raise was based on a unanimous roll call vote of the common council.
To view Swann's entire emailed response back to TMJ4's questions, you can click here.
We never received a response from Council President Payson Jr.
Shiroda and Swann said via email that they will sit down for an on-camera interview with TMJ4's Chief Investigative Reporter Jenna Rae. That interview is scheduled for Friday.
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