The special council meeting consisted of about 20 minutes of open session, followed by over three and a half hours of closed session. Then the Council reconvened in open meeting and voted 6-0 to extend another contract to Chief Bohan.

A long parade of people met with the City Council behind closed doors during the course of the evening, including members of the city’s Personnel Committee, fire department staff, town board officers, representatives of the Brodhead Rural Fire Association, and private citizens.

The closed doors of the council chambers swung open periodically as the night wore on, with Acting City Clerk Ellyn Popanz appearing in the doorway to ask if anyone else wanted to speak to the Council. A few chose not to, such as Bob Olsen, a member of the fire department for 42 years, who said he was just there to support the chief. “It’s tearing us apart,” he said in regards to the contract renewal process. Chief Bohan and his wife, Holly, sat in the City Hall corridor throughout the evening, along with several dozen other public employees and citizens, waiting for the Council to reach its decision. “I feel much, much, much better,” said Bohan the following morning. “I really appreciate the support of the City Council.”

In reference to the controversy and lengthy deliberations regarding his re-appointment, Bohan said: “I’m the first full-time chief and that’s a huge change. When you make a change in a fire service, it hits hard. I think what we’re going through is growing pains.”

Alderman Ric Genthe [Ward 1], a member of the Personnel Committee, seemed to concur: “Two years ago, when we hired a full-time, professional fire chief, I think the City overall – the Personnel Committee, Public Safety Committee, the mayor and the City Council – really was not prepared to bridge that gap between a volunteer fire department and a paid fire chief.” “I’m confident we made the right decision,” Genthe said regarding the Council’s vote to stick with the chief. The Brodhead City Council first appointed Bohan on July 14, 2008. His new contract will extend until July 28, 2011. Bohan is a native of St. Joseph, Minnesota, where he served as fire chief at St. John’s University.

At their next meeting, the City Council will consider recommendations made by Tom Purdy, a community planning and administration consultant from Monroe, regarding operations of the fire department. Among the recommendations is to develop a policies and procedures manual for the department, including a proper grievance procedure. At the July 20 meeting, the Council voted to award Popanz a “bonus differential,” an increase of $1.58 an hour for the eight weeks she has served as Acting City Clerk. She is also the Municipal Court Clerk. Former City Clerk-Treasurer Nancy Schoeller was terminated from her position in June, after serving more than 30 years. Mayor Doug Pinnow said no decision had been made yet regarding filling the clerk-treasurer position, but he hoped the city would be able to address the issue soon.