Report details allegations in O’Fallon’s investigation into Robert Lowery Jr.
Robert Lowery Jr.
Lowery was reinstated Feb. 26 after about a month on paid leave. The investigative report, written by lawyers Tom Berry and Tim O’Leary, outlines more than a dozen allegations raised by city councilmen.
On March 12, Lowery pressed the O’Fallon City Council to release the report and the overall cost to taxpayers. The actual cost has not been determined, but some officials say putting Lowery on paid leave and legal fees may have exceeded $50,000.
The council is expected to vote at Thursday night’s meeting on whether to release the report. City councilmen may comment on their findings as well. The council also may release the cost of the city’s retirement settlement with former Police Chief Jerry Schulte.
(The Post-Dispatch has previously reported that the package paid him his regular yearly gross salary of $113,048 through February, plus vacation and sick pay equal to an estimated $37,000.)
The report includes several questions about Lowery’s involvement as a founder and trainer with Global Training Partnership, a Virginia-based company that says it helps law enforcement with investigations of missing persons and unidentified bodies. Part of the city council’s inquiry was whether Lowery gave former Schulte an ultimatum to retire or be fired for undisclosed reasons. Other issues include questions about city contracts for water and sewer service as well as for uniforms for city employees.
Lowery has denied the allegations in the report and has said he believes the report exonerates him.
The lawyers who wrote the report could not immediately be reached for comment.
Check back to STLtoday.com later and Friday’s Post-Dispatch for more information.
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Huh? How does the Council vote to release a report already released?
Let’s go one week without seeing the name lowery mentioned in the paper. Please, just one week. In the end, who cares. It does not take much to see what this guy really is. He has riden on the coat tails of his dad his whole life. He is not qaulified for his current position. He is unprofessional and represents everything that is wrong with municipal politics. Please stop reporting on this guy. I would rather read more interesting articles like the one on dune buggies, the homeless man with a dog, etc. Anything but articles about a fat man with an oversized ego and head.
Joel,
How were you able to obtain this report? Why did you not post a copy of it?
Wow. Was Morrow at her best (our worse) last night. Making everything political. Making everything about her. She was voted down by the Council and what does she do. Rant, rave and insult the Council because she did not get her way. Kind of like my teenage kids who throw temper tantrums when I tell them they cant have their way. Well done to Mr Haney for standing up to her in a professional way. Mr Haney expect Morrow to cry on Voss’, Adolphus Busch and Carl Maus’ shoulder. Then expect Voss to plagiarize a story about you in her rag and Busch to funnel money to Maus to attack you personally.
Can Morrow being any more of an un-Ambassodor of the city. How many times will she act like a victim for no reason at all. How many times has she started investigations on people she did not like. She does not stand for the taxpayers, only for the kool-aid drinkers who sympathize with her ‘why-is-everybody-always-picking-on-me’ attitude. She wanted to fire Lowery earlier this year becasue he was doing things without telling her. Now she is the victim in this. Morrow dont let the door hit you on the way out and take all the other rodents (Maus, Adolphus Busch, Smothers, Musick, Blanton, Hanson, etc) with you.
Joel,
Some of these allegations are impossible to clear Lowery of unless you ignore the facts. Your story offers us nothing. When will you do a real story?
I could not agree more with J Wetzel and H Preston.
Thank God for the Magnificent Seven that refused to bow down to her highness. While I disagree with some of the council on different issues, I could have not been more proud of the seven, including Mr. Haney, who by the way, was as professional as he could be even while being interrupted constantly by the Mayor and Mr. Conley. I guess decorum on their part does not have a place when it doesn’t suit them.
Her display and rhetoric was well rehearsd, I might say, and comparable to one of my grand kids throwing a temper tantrum. Really adult behavior, threats and all.
The Mayor has said she wants to leave a legacy of her administration. Well she has done that and more. She has constanly “dissed” me because I deal in facts, not personalities. It would not surprise me if the “leaking” of the report came from her or her cohorts. And having Mr. Lowery investigate where it came from is like the fox guarding the chicken coop.
When will government in O’Fallon become about the people and the City instead of about themselves. The Charter wil help stop some of this by having a balance of “power” with checks and balances but it is up to individuals like myself who care (agree or disagree) to keep those self agrandizing, smooth talking, no substance malcontents out of government.
Also, Joel, how can you be considered law abiding when you deliberately appear to flout the law concerning personell records, regardless of source. I agree with your right to “not give up” the individual providing it but don’t be complicit in their actions. Then you become as bad as them. Thirty five years in a large corporation drilled into me how disasterous the releasing of records could be to any and all concerned.
You’ve go to be kidding. We have a Mayor that acts like a Middle schooler?
Thank goodnes she will no longer be around. I hope that the Council follow Mr. Hennessy’s lead after the election and get rid of the other half of the problem. I can’t understand Lowery’s comments that it isn’t up to the Council to question the 8-10-12 hour shift, they were elected to oversee the actions of the City, not bow down to a dictator of a City Administrator.
Jim Pepper–
To respond to your allegation, I ask you to read a summary for the 2001 U.S. Supreme Court decision, Bartnicki v. Vopper.
I did nothing illegal, nor am I accusing anyone of doing anything illegal.
Here’s some more reading material for you: http://www.asne.org/kiosk/editor/01.may-june/goldberg1.htm
Joel, sorry, you got punked. The scoop has the jist of the report. If I recall correctly on the water and sewer contract issue, I find it awful funny, because I know Bob said some things that were brought to the attention of the FBI(who has sat by silently).