CLAYTON — The St. Louis County prosecuting attorney's office has asked the circuit court to remove the president of the troubled Northeast fire district board, alleging he conducted district meetings without a quorum and a majority vote of the board.

"By his conduct, he has forfeited his office," assistant prosecuting attorney Bart Calhoun said Wednesday of the action against Robert Edwards. "Because of that, right now he's holding office unlawfully."

Edwards, who was elected to the board in April 2007, was notified of the effort to oust him at a meeting Tuesday of the Northeast Ambulance and Fire Protection District Board. He has until Nov. 6 to respond.

Edwards, formerly a music teacher with the Normandy School District, did not return calls to his home or to a jazz club he and his wife recently opened in Webster Groves.

In attempting to unseat Edwards, the prosecuting attorney's office filed a petition in "quo warranto" — a little-used legal action in which a person's right to hold public office is challenged. The petition says that Edwards held meetings without a quorum and a majority vote and illegally closed meetings.

Missouri Rep. Don Calloway Jr., D-Bel-Nor, praised the move Wednesday. "It's a great statement to this fire district and all elected officials that Missouri will not tolerate abuses of power and dereliction of duty by those who hold public office," he said.

Edwards began making motions and voting on them solo at a board meeting Oct. 6. It was then that fellow director Rhea Willis — the district has had only two directors since early July — denounced Edwards, the fire chief and the board's attorneys before walking out. Since then, Willis has remained in meetings but has refused to second any of Edwards' motions. Edwards, acting on board attorney Elbert Walton Jr.'s advice, has continued to make motions and vote.

Asked for a comment on the prosecutor's petition, Walton sent to the Post-Dispatch an e-mail containing a letter to Edwards dated Oct. 13. Walton's letter cited a 1969 attorney general's opinion stating that Frontenac aldermen could vote on a resolution even after three of six aldermen had walked out.

Based on that opinion, Walton wrote in the letter, "removal of a board member does not destroy the quorum and does not prevent passage of motions and resolutions."

On a related matter Wednesday, Circuit Judge Maura B. McShane ordered that the district's funds remain frozen and granted a request on behalf of Fire Chief Joe Washington for a change of judge in that case.

On Oct. 20, a judge froze the district's funds in response to a suit filed by Calloway. Walton and attorney Bernard Edwards Jr. have appealed that order to the Missouri Supreme Court.