Poplar Bluff city manager reportedly out of a job

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Sources in Poplar Bluff say the employment of city manager Heath Kaplan was terminated Tuesday during a special closed session meeting of the city council.

Council members have declined to confirm whether Kaplan was fired during the meeting, which lasted about two hours.

No comment was made after the meeting about the subject of the closed session. As council members walked out of the meeting, it was announced the subject and result of the closed meeting would not be released for three days.

Missouri's Sunshine Law allows public bodies to wait up to 72 hours before being required to release any action conducted in closed session, but does not require it.

Word quickly began to spread around town, however, that Kaplan was no longer city manager.

When contacted Wednesday morning, council members declined to comment on the closed session. Later in the morning, however, Mayor Betty Absheer said the council may be ready to release a statement by Thursday morning.

Two uniformed officers, a detective and Deputy Police Chief Jeff Rolland provided security during the meeting.

Council members met in open session for about 15 minutes to appoint members to an Industrial Development Corporation. They entered closed session about 5:45 p.m. and ended the meeting shortly before 8 p.m.

Kaplan waited in the hallway for much of the closed meeting, standing in an area where the public is asked to remain during closed session. Rolland remained with Kaplan during that time.

Kaplan and assistant city manager Mark Massingham left the closed session meeting together and entered a section of city hall where Kaplan's office is.

Members of the public were not allowed to wait in the same area as Kaplan during the meeting. At the direction of council, the public was told they had to exit the building until the end of the meeting.

Daily American Republic publisher Don Schrieber on Wednesday questioned the council's choice to withhold the results of the closed meeting.

"An entire community is aware of the action taken and yet the council members remain mum," Schrieber said. "The healing process must begin with transparency and trust. I call upon the mayor to immediately disclose the terms under which Mr. Kaplan was dismissed."

The community wants to know whether Kaplan was dismissed or allowed to resign, and what financial commitments were made by the city to end his employment, Schrieber said.

"Our community has become increasingly distrustful with city hall leadership over the past nine months and have a right to know now," he said.

Tuesday's meeting was called at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, after an article in the Daily American Republic concerning a loan received by Kaplan from Ryan Leestma, owner of technology company Information Systems Intelligence. The city has awarded more than $3 million in contracts to ISI in the past 10 months without taking bids.

Repeated questions from the DAR concerning how money has been spent not only with ISI, but other associates of Kaplan's, have gone unanswered by the city for months.

Look for updates to this story soon at semissourian.com.