Cunningham, McNary Get Nasty in Run for Monarch Fire Board

The Post-Dispatch interviewed both the remaining candidates, who once held high-profile offices in Jefferson City and now are running for the relatively obscure three-person fire board.

One was once a candidate for statewide office, the other a high-profile member of the Missouri state senate. Now, Cole McNary and Jane Cunningham are the sole candidates for the relatively obscure and low-paying job on the board of the Monarch Fire Protection District. The election is April 2 and both candidates are already getting a little nasty in their campaign for the open seat on the board, according to an article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Both are from Chesterfield and they're the only candidates left in the race for a six-year term. The newspaper quotes Cunningham referring to McNary as "the union candidate" and warning: "You don’t want the union bosses picking who their boss will be." In turn, McNary, who was the GOP …

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Four Months In: Chesterfield's New Fire Chief Brings Fresh Style

Tom Vineyard talks new attitude, transparency in everything.

Dear Citizens: I would like to start my first message to you, the community, with a note of gratitude for allowing me to serve you as Chief of the Monarch Fire Protection District. I officially took over the helm on January 2 and am very excited about providing a new direction for the future. I have more than 23 years of experience in fire and EMS operations. I have the experience, qualifications and expertise to lead this fire protection district as it begins a new era in delivering fire protection and emergency medical services to all of our citizens. I can assure you that my primary responsibility is to ensure that you, the citizens of the Monarch Fire Protection District, receive the highest level of fire and emergency response service…

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Limbaugh/Seinfeld Style Not So Funny at Monarch Fire Meeting

Chesterfield public agency has no room for wording reminiscent of Rush Limbaugh's "feminazi" or Jerry Seinfeld's "Soup Nazi."

When there is a rare open public meeting at Chesterfield's March Fire Protection District, someone from Chesterfield Patch tries to attend. On Monday night, there were a total of three people at the meeting, including me. One left early. Here's what I heard. A Nazi on staff: During a discussion about increasing firefighter/paramedic on-the-job training from half-an-hour a day to two hours a day, district Training Officer Robin Echele used statistics to make a point. He referred to a staffer as the “Data Nazi” who had come up with certain statistics. It struck me as odd that a person working in a political subdivision that included a sizeable Jewish population would even consider using the word “Nazi” in this way. Nazis killed and tortured …

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It's An Odd Jump for A New Chesterfield Fire Chief

Monarch’s new chief is pro-union and the numbers don’t add up.

The hiring of Tom Vineyard Saturday as the new fire chief for the Monarch Fire Protection District seems peculiar. When his potential hiring was revealed weeks earlier, Monarch's current board of directors did not confirm it. Vineyard comes from the old Wellston Fire Protection District, a union-controlled district that changed its name from Wellston to Mid-County when creditors began confusing the fire district with the City of Wellston, which has been on the verge of bankruptcy for the past 20 years. The district built a new firehouse at the western edge of its boundary in Pagedale when there were too many break-ins at the Wellston firehouse and firefighters’ cars while they worked. But the math doesn't add up for the Vineyard hire. He …

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Is Wellston Fire Chief Top Choice for Monarch Fire?

Tom Vineyard is chief of Mid-County FPD.

Chesterfield-based Monarch Fire Protection District's search for a new fire chief has turned up a top choice, according to a self-proclaimed watchdog group, Monarch Concerned Taxpayers. Tom Vineyard, chief of Mid-County Fire Protection District of St. Louis County, was identified Friday by Concerned Taxpayers, in a blog on the group's website as Monarch's top choice to replace current and retiring Chief Chip Biele. Monarch's board of directors would not confirm chief search information but in an email to Patch, apologized to Vineyard and others mentioned in Concerned Taxpayers blog. Chief Vineyard was not available by phone Monday, according to a person who answered the phone at Mid-County FPD. Monarch has known for nearly a year that …

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