Court docs: Then-councilman Brant forced resignation of Scott City's administrator without council, mayor input

Scott City Mayor Norman Brant, while serving as a councilman, orchestrated the resignation of then-city administrator Ron Eskew in March 2017, testimony in two civil suits shows.

Eskew, who served as city administrator for 16 years, said in a deposition last month he resigned "under duress and blackmail."

Brant said in a deposition last month he asked Eskew to resign without the knowledge of then-Mayor Ron Cummins, who was on vacation.

Councilman Pat Brazel testified the same day he didn't recall Cummins and the council ever discussing Eskew stepping down as city administrator prior to his resignation.

Brant said he hoped his actions would lead to fewer Southeast Missourian stories about Scott City government. "I didn't want any more negative write-ups," Brant testified.

Brant said he sought Eskew's resignation because "I didn't want Ron's name muddied up."

He testified Scott City is "a small town. You don't want to hurt people."

Brant said he asked Eskew to resign because he believed Eskew had engaged in "misconduct" centered on personal use of city computers and a mower, as well as improper use of city credit cards, according to the deposition.

"Having city property at your home for several months and nobody know about it, I think there is something wrong with that," he testified.

Brant said he told Eskew he would "go to the council and try hard to get them to drop all investigations and forget everything" if the city administrator would resign.

He said in the deposition he told Eskew he would seek to stop a financial audit into improper use of credit cards by city employees if Eskew resigned.

Eskew and former parks director Phyllis Spinks both have filed lawsuits against Scott City government and former mayor Ron Cummins.

Eskew filed a lawsuit last year, alleging he lost his job after he sought to prevent city officials from firing Spinks.

But Brant testified the resignation had nothing to do with the termination of Spinks. He said "she didn't play a part in this in no way, shape or form."

As for Eskew's resignation, Brant testified he asked a city hall employee to type the resignation letter.

Brant said he asked police officer Mike Culler to meet him at city hall March 9, 2017.

Eskew recalled Brant, with Culler present, showed him the resignation letter and asked him to sign it.

"I said, 'I'm not signing this,'" Eskew testified.

According to Eskew, Brant displayed a packet of information and threatened to give it to the prosecuting attorney if he didn't resign.

Eskew said in the deposition, which was taken for his lawsuit, Brant never disclosed what information was in the packet.

"I was only told ... if I signed the letter the packet would go away," Eskew recalled.

Brant "insisted that I sign the letter or I was going to be removed immediately," Eskew said.

The former city administrator said he began to believe he "had been set up."

Eskew testified he "began to think these guys could be planting something in my car right now. These guys are capable of a lot of unlawful activities to make it look like I've done something wrong."

Eskew said Cummins, as mayor, had accused police of "unlawful tactics, planting evidence."

Cummins, in his own deposition, said, "We had problems with police officers planting drugs in vehicles during vehicle stops."

Eskew said during his meeting with Brant and Culler he felt like "these guys have a gun to my head. I do not want my family to go through this. I do not want to go out this way. I have never been fired from a job in my life."

At that point, Eskew said he signed the resignation letter and was "escorted out of the building under police guard."

The council unanimously accepted Eskew's resignation March 13, 2017, city minutes show.

Cummins said in a deposition last year Brant never told him what information he possessed regarding Eskew's actions as city administrator.

According to the deposition, Cummins said he was advised when he returned from vacation that Brant met with Eskew on his own "without the council's approval or without their knowledge or my knowledge."

Spinks lawsuit

Spinks was terminated from her job in 2016. She filed suit in 2017, alleging the city and Cummins engaged in gender, age and disability discrimination against her.

But in a Feb. 6, 2017, letter to the Missouri Human Rights Commission, city attorney Francis Siebert said the city did not discriminate against Spinks.

According to Siebert, the park board fires and hires the parks director.

"She was dismissed for the reason that she had notified the board she was resigning, the board wanted to hire and train a new park director to be prepared to handle the numerous tasks in the spring, and she had mismanaged the park board's budget with regard to overtime and seasonal employees," the city attorney wrote.

Cummins said in his own deposition last year he never said any employee was too old to do their job and he was not involved in Spinks' decision to retire.

But Spinks testified in her deposition last year Cummins wanted to fire her. When he found out he legally could not fire the parks director, he sought to appoint new park board members, she said.

Her position is supported by Eskew's testimony.

Eskew testified Cummins told him Spinks "was old, she had old ideas, she was lazy, she wasn't keeping up the parks, she wasn't creating any new events and she had to leave."

Cummins, who was elected mayor in 2016, resigned in August amid allegations he abused his position. He has denied the allegations.

He has filed his own lawsuit against state Rep. Holly Rehder, councilman and former Mayor Tim Porch and Scott City resident Cindi Davidson Brashear. He has alleged all three defendants defamed him.

That case has been assigned to Judge Rob Barker of Mississippi County. No trial date has been set.

The Spinks case has been set for trial, starting Nov. 7. The case has been moved to Pemiscot County on a change of venue.

The Eskew case has been assigned to Cape Girardeau County Circuit Judge Michael Gardner. No trial date has been set.

mbliss@semissourian.com

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