Mayne

TOLEDO — As Otter Creek Lake slowly begins to refill following the long-awaited completion of the lake restoration project, Tama County Conservation has suddenly found itself without a leader.

Effective last Monday, July 31 at 4 p.m., Tama Co. Conservation Director Stephen Mayne was placed on paid administrative leave, according to board chairman John Keenan.

“That’s all I’m at liberty to say right now,” Keenan told the T-R in a phone call on Thursday, Aug. 3 following the regular monthly meeting of the board that was held the evening prior at Otter Creek Lake & Park Nature Center.

During the brief call, Keenan said he agreed the public had the “right to know” what was going on with the director’s employment status and as such said he would be providing further information to the newspaper as soon as he was allowed to do so.

Mayne was absent from Wednesday night’s meeting. All members of the board including Keenan, vice chair Carolyn Adolps, past chair Bryan Wacha, and Steve Kenkel were present.

Former chairman of the board Nathan Wrage of Gladbrook resigned last month, and his replacement had not yet been appointed as of the August meeting.

Conservation staff in attendance at the meeting included naturalist Raina Genaw, park ranger/technician Dustin Horne, and park officer Riley Conrad.

Attorney Brent L. Hinders, a shareholder attorney at Hopkins & Huebner, P.C. in Des Moines, was retained by the Board of Conservation and was also present during the meeting.

The meeting’s agenda included several items that were skipped due to Mayne’s absence including the approval of the bills and the Director’s Report.

Mayne, an Iowa State graduate who holds a bachelor’s degree in agriculture and animal ecology, was hired in early March of 2021. He previously worked as an executive for the Boy Scouts of America.

Mayne was hired to the position in the wake of Logan Roberts’ resignation in December 2020. Prior to Roberts, Bob Etzel held the position for 40 years.

Following the regular meeting, the board along with Genaw who kept the meeting minutes, entered into closed session at 6:50 p.m. under Iowa Code 21.5(1)(c) in order to “discuss strategy with counsel in matters that are presently in litigation or where litigation is imminent where its disclosure would be likely to prejudice or disadvantage the position of the governmental body in that litigation.”

The board remained in closed session until 7:41 p.m. No action was taken by the board following the closed session.

The T-R reached out to Mayne for comment regarding his employment status. As of publication, Mayne had not yet responded.