By Adam Rollins, Record Staff Writer
The city of Marthasville, the city’s mayor and three aldermen are being sued by a former city clerk.Carla Heggemann alleges in a lawsuit filed in December in the Warren County Circuit Court that she was wrongfully terminated from her position as clerk in retaliation for reporting alleged legal violations. Heggemann is seeking a total of $125,000 in compensation and punitive damages.The suit alleges that Heggemann was fired in May 2016 after an extended period of conflict with Mayor David Lange, Alderman Nick Lange and Alderman Dan Grafrath, as previously reported in the Warren County Record. She is now suing those three, along with Alderman Christopher DeVore, who was elected in April 2016.Mayor Lange declined to comment on the lawsuit, saying the city is in early stages of examining the matter.“The city intends to vigorously defend (this case) and believes the allegations are without merit,” said City Attorney Mark Piontek.Heggemann also declined to comment. Her attorney did not return calls to the Record.According to the suit, Heggemann claims she had no significant disciplinary history and her employment was never threatened before she reported Mayor Lange to the Missouri Attorney General’s Office for an alleged violation of state records law in October 2015.A copy of the complaint acquired by the Warren County Record accuses Mayor Lange of taking two books of city records home without approval, in violation of state law requiring a record custodian’s written permission before removal. Taking the records from the city office jeopardized their authenticity, Heggemann alleges.When confronted by Alderman Mike Kloeppel during a subsequent meeting, Mayor Lange apologized for taking the books of city meeting minutes spanning from 1991 to 1997. Lange said he was just looking for mentions of old park surveys.In March 2016, Heggemann filed a complaint with the Missouri Ethics Commission alleging that Mayor Lange and Aldermen Lange and Grafrath violated conflict of interest laws when they voted to accept three streets into the city of Marthasville and pay to repair them. The mayor and aldermen had family living on those streets at the time.The ethics commission dismissed that complaint a day after Heggemann’s termination in May. In a letter to the three city officials, Ethics Commission Executive Director James Klahr stated that the complaint was dismissed because the street repairs benefited all residents of the area, not just their family members, and that no officials received any additional financial benefit.Heggemann’s suit claims that prior to her firing, the Marthasville Board of Aldermen went into executive session on multiple occasions, during which Mayor Lange, supported by Aldermen Lange and Grafrath, allegedly attempted to terminate Heggemann’s employment. Executive sessions and any records created therein are closed to the public, making it difficult to confirm what was discussed.Former Alderman Pam Jensen criticized Mayor Lange and her fellow aldermen during a March 30 meeting for their treatment of Heggemann, at one point saying “I will not allow the campaign by Mayor Lange and Alderman Lange to fire Carla Heggemann to continue,” and calling the board members’ actions a “witchhunt.”Mayor Lange declined to comment on Jensen’s criticism at the time. Alderman Lange at the time said Jensen was entitled to her opinion.Jensen lost her bid for reelection in April. She was replaced by Christopher DeVore, after which the board voted to fire Heggemann.
Carla Heggemann (left) and David Lange (right).
