Neosho city manager says mold clouded his decisions

NEOSHO, Mo. -- Budget problems are brewing in the southwest Missouri town of Neosho, where angry residents showed up this week to a city council meeting wearing flu masks after the city manager suggested his decision-making had been clouded by mold spores that made him ill.

The city of about 10,000 people has faced questions about its financial condition since city manager Jan Blase acknowledged in November he used a state loan earmarked for new airplane hangars to pay city bills and make payroll.

Blase said the move was ethical and necessary to meet the city's financial obligations, but an internal review quotes Blase as suggesting his judgment had been affected by mold at city hall, The Neosho Daily News and Joplin Globe reported Wednesday.

"I believe that excessive mold spore levels ... affected overall performance," he said, according to the report.

Blase has been under fire since confirming his use of the airport loan for other city finances. After word spread about his mold comments, some residents arrived at Tuesday night's city council meeting wearing flu masks over their mouths.

Council member Heather Bowers is gathering signatures on a petition seeking a state audit. Mayor Jeff Werneke signed the petition at Tuesday's meeting.

"Now we must proceed with action to protect this great community," he said. "There will always be a time for scrutiny and analysis, but we can never cease to exist because of fear of the adversity. If that ever happens, we have all lost.