HAZELWOOD, Mo. – Hazelwood citizens are trying to unseat the three board members of the Robertson Fire Protection District Board of Directors.
They said the fire district is wasting taxpayers’ money and they’re suffering the effects.
“The city of Hazelwood is going bankrupt, and the Robertson Fire Protection District is using our tax dollars as their own personal piggy bank,” said Jennifer Guyton, group leader for the Citizens to Save Hazelwood and Fire Services.
The fire district tried to get a judge to call off the election. They wanted more than 100 names thrown out, claiming the citizens were lied to in order to get them to sign. The judge disagreed and refused to cancel it.
“I was elated,” Guyton said. “I was so happy to hear that the judge heard our arguments and understood that this was just silly. This is something you do when you are too corrupt and too cowardly to hold an election.”
The three fire district directors that are facing recall said they’ve done nothing wrong. They said their actions have been legal and insisted they have not wasted taxpayer dollars.
“I don’t feel like we lost. I feel like it’s going to come out in the wash,“ said Joan, board president for the Robertson Fire Protection District.
Hazelwood Mayor Matthew Robinson said he’s hoping for a change in the fire district.
“We could look at filing bankruptcy as early as 2025. We got in this position throughout the years,” Robinson said. “We’ve had a neighboring fire district, Robertson Fire Protection District, that’s escalated their cost where they’ve out priced themselves in the St. Louis region.”
The fire district claimed it had nothing to do with Hazelwood’s dire finances.
“I think the mayor is behind all this. The mayor and certain people in the City of Hazelwood are behind all this,” Noel said. “They’re making this happen. They’ve never kept their promises. They’ve always treated us like the “red-headed stepchild.”
The recall vote will be on Nov. 8. The election law allowed the fire district directors to put their names on the ballot for open seats from the recall. It’s possible for voters to cast them out of the position and even elect them back in office.