LEAVENWORTH, Kan. -- He was fired for insubordination, dereliction of duty, and policy violations.
But now, the Leavenworth Board of County Commissioners chairman is publicly defending his decision to bring back that fired employee with a big raise.
As the 41 Action News Investigators first reported Thursday, David Van Parys was brought back to Leavenworth County government after being fired with a more than $40,000 a year raise.
The 41 Action News Investigators tried to speak to Board of Commissioners Chairman Doug Smith about it.
"I have no comment, you can talk to the county administrator," Smith said.
According to Van Parys's termination letter the 41 Action News Investigators exclusively obtained, Van Parys was fired as county counselor late last year for violating county policy, insubordination, dishonesty, poor job performance, absenteeism, and tardiness.
While Smith wouldn't speak to 41 Action News, he had plenty to say at Monday's board meeting after the story aired.
At first, he addressed Commissioner Bob Holland.
Holland disagreed with the decision to rehire Van Parys and told the 41 Action News Investigators he was unaware Van Parys would be rehired until he attended the January 9 board meeting.
"I don't know how to respond to that Commissioner Holland, I mean they wanted to discredit myself, Commissioner Graeber, and Mr. Van Parys," Smith said to Holland.
"How personnel records leaked to the news, I just can't believe that," Smith said to the gathered crowd at Monday's board meeting. "Mr. Van Parys, the reason we brought him back was for the sales tax project; two of us feel he was wrongfully terminated," Smith said.
Those two commissioners are Smith and Clyde Graeber.
Smith was not a commissioner when Van Parys was fired.
But Graeber, who by multiple accounts is close personal friends with Van Parys and his wife, was on the commission when Van Parys was fired.
Graeber did not sign off on the firing.
"Commissioner Graeber never had any kids of his own and I really think he looked at David as a son," former Commissioner Dennis Bixby said.
Bixby and Holland did sign off on Van Parys's firing.
Not only did Smith and Graeber bring Van Parys back at a more than $40,000 raise, but he's also now making even more money.
In addition to his $140,000 salary, Van Parys is now the interim county counselor at a rate of $100 per hour.
That pay for the additional work is more than double the rate he was making for the same job before he was fired.
Van Parys has that interim job because the commission is challenging the contracts of the current county counselor and three other employees in court because of the length and conditions of those contracts.
"They're five years and three years. If that's a good use of taxpayer money, I'd like to hear it from you," Smith said to the crowd at Monday's board meeting.
Commissioner Holland opposes the challenge of the contracts.
He told the 41 Action News Investigators the county has already spent $14,000 of taxpayer money on legal fees for the case.
And Holland believes it could cost the county a lot more money if those employees successfully counter sue.
