Evergreen Fire/Rescue board member apologizes, then criticizes

Although she apologized following formal public censure from her fellow Evergreen Fire/Rescue board members, Suzanne Campagna challenged the district's censorship policy at the board meeting. June 18 group.

The board voted last month to censure Campagna for several instances of allegedly unacceptable conduct. The action was officially declared at the June 18 meeting, when board President Stacey Ballinger read a statement. Although Ballinger said there had been “several instances” of similar behavior by Campagna, his unauthorized participation and alleged conduct at an EFR general staff meeting on May 1 – that the volunteers described as disruptive – motivated censorship.

Ballinger described Campagna's actions as a violation of the board's bylaws, as well as “the public trust,” and said it could expose the board to potential liability.

The censure orders Campagna to “cease engaging in unauthorized conduct as a member of the board of directors and to comply with all applicable laws, regulations and statutes.”

After Ballinger read the formal censure, Campagna made a brief statement.

“I apologize for disrupting this meeting,” she said. “I take full responsibility.”

She then criticized the district's censorship policy, which restricts board interactions outside of board meetings with anyone other than the chief, and requires board approval for a member to attend to district functions.

“The censorship policy that was introduced into our statutes was not only ignorant, but also ridiculous,” she said. “And that says a lot about what’s going on in our organization.” Muzzling the intelligent is a huge wake-up call. An internal cleaning of our statutes and our management is necessary.

“I will suffer censorship or reprimand any day to protect free speech,” she continued. “And I will continue to serve to the best of my ability.”

Several audience members applauded Campagna's statement.

Ballinger responded, saying the censorship “is in no way intended to inhibit free speech.”

“It has been proven – and there is some history – that outside conversations can be damaging,” she said, adding that EFR communications are based on a chain of command structure. “If someone steps outside of that chain of command, it leads to a lot of rhetoric and misrepresentations. And in the situations this department and its stakeholders find themselves in, a cohesive unit is imperative.

“We are open to any conversation,” she continued. “All we ask is that this be done in the proper format. I appreciate the apology. All I'm saying is please use the correct format. We will function better if you do.

A fresh round of applause greeted Ballinger's comments.

Director Julie Ann Courim said the communication rules and a censorship policy added to the statutes in 2023 were prompted by a violation of the executive session.

“It required us to go to our legal team to make sure our district was not in danger, and that’s why this policy is in place,” she said. “Does that seem a bit strong?” Absolutely. (But) this district cannot be at risk of potential ruin in the event of a violation of the executive session.

“We are a council of five,” she continued. “We are not a single board of directors. When we make a decision, and it's a majority vote, it's done. After a decision has been made, you should not go out into the public and (express) a difference of opinion.

Campagna refused to sign the censorship policy last year, saying it went against EFR's vision of creating “a positive work environment through internal communication, relationships and leadership effective”. Nonetheless, she said at the December 2023 meeting that because a majority of the board approved it, she would adhere to the policy.

Campagna joined the board after an uncontested election in 2023.