A South Central Transit employee asked the Marion County Board Tuesday night to remove Ben Stratemeyer of Centralia from their board for harassment.
Beth Monken, who said she was also speaking for other South Central employees, said the transit employees thought the issue had ended when Stratemeyer and three others appointed from Marion County were removed when an IDOT official said the county had too many representatives on the board.
“The question I’ve been asking over and over, and it’s a simple one, how in good conscious can you allow the reappointment of a man who was found in a harassment complaint, removed from the board, but then in a few months later re-appointed back on the same board with the same management staff. And now has another harassment complaint against him. I believe we all know there is an elephant controlling this decision. And I think it’s time to step down from the political platform and do the right thing for the citizens of Marion County. Appoint someone who is an advocate for public transportation. Someone who will support female managers. Someone who will help restore the positive image of the SCT and help expand and improve services for the citizens of Marion County.”
Monken then called for Stratemeyer’s removal.
“I along with others from SCT respectfully request that Mr. Ben Stratemeyer be removed as a trustee from the South Central Transit Board, with the stipulation that he or any other members that are founded in the original harassment investigation are prevented to ever be appointed as well.”
Board members Bill Henson and Adam Smith both said the information about harassment was new to them as they believed the removal of the four Marion County members of the board was the result of IDOT saying the county had too many representatives.
Smith then asked Monken about what harassment had taken place.
“Not me personally but it’s a trickle-down effect. When management has to deal with the board and all the implications that they make on our staff then that trickles down to us and it makes for the work environment to be very stressful. We can’t do day-to-day operations without the board’s interference.”
Smith responded he believed oversight was the proper role of any governing board.
“I think that’s what the board’s whole goal is to have oversight and make sure things are done properly. At least for me, that’s what any board is for. To ask questions and present arguments and generally it’s met with resistance anywhere you go.”
Board Chair Debbie Smith said the information about the harassment and the request for Stratemeyer’s removal has been given to State’s Attorney Tim Hudspeth for review and said no action would be taken at Tuesday night’s meeting.
Meanwhile, Stratemeyer, who was not in attendance at the meeting, later told WJBD-WSIQ News the original harassment investigation Monken spoke about was investigated by the Illinois Department of Transportation and an independent investigator hired by South Central Transit with no finding of harassment.
WJBD-WSIQ News has also reached out to South Central Managing Director Sara Nollman-Hodge to determine if Monken was speaking out on behalf of the entire administrative staff in asking for Stratemeyer’s removal.
