In its regularly scheduled February 13 City Council meeting, Sparks councilmembers struck down a proposal by former fire chief Mark Lawson to give him $441,218.83 in settlement fees in which Lawson cited he was owed for allegedly terminating his contract without cause and breach of contract. Lawson demanded compensation for the loss of pay, benefits, legal fees, and reputational harm damages that resulted from the fallout.
“Mr. Lawson was condemned, terminated, and tried in the court of public opinion before criminal charges were even filed,” states the Second Demand Letter sent from Lawson’s attorneys to the City of Sparks on January 19.
In the beginning of the meeting, a longtime businessperson and Sparks resident spoke up in the public comment period saying that Mark Lawson had been an acquaintance of his for a decade and he attested to his character.
“All of my dealings with Mr. Lawson have been impeccable…my opinion of him has been upstanding. I’ve seen him involved in many charitable contributions where he donates his time and/or resources. The media did him a giant disservice with their gigantic headlines that were untrue. Public opinion was swayed in a negative way for Mr. Lawson and I thought that was unfair.
“He’s a very good man and I have seen him give himself where he didn’t have to. I would be proud to have him represent the City in any way possible. His decisions are his own, he made a mistake, I get that. I believe his weight is far better towards the goodness than to the negative that he’s ever put out to this community,” he said.
However, when Agenda Item 9.4 came around, there wasn’t much discussion, and the Council was united in its conclusion.
“As you know, the City Attorney’s Office received a letter dated January 19 of this year asserting several claims on behalf of Mark Lawson and also offering to settle the threatened litigation for $441,218.83. This number exceeds the City Manager’s approval threshold under [Community] Code so it’s being brought here for your decision,” said Assistant City Attorney Brandon Sendall.
And then in a conversation that lasted no more than two minutes, the Sparks City Council unanimously rejected Lawson’s settlement offer.
The Second Demand Letter warned that if the City failed to compensate Mr. Lawson for his damages, then he will likely file a complaint in the Second Judicial District Court.
Lawson was charged with his role in possessing Schedule III steroid drugs and was set to report to Sparks Justice Court at the end of January, while the City of Sparks began the recruitment process for its next fire chief. It selected three finalists to fill the open position and interviewed them on January 25.
“This group has a combined 96 years of experience in the fire service,” Krutz said about the next fire chief finalists. “I am excited to see how well they perform under the challenging circumstances we will create through the assessment and interview process.”
However, following the interviews a new fire chief has still not been named.
