Alting calls Statehouse meeting to deal with Wabash Township mess, save firefighter jobs

Sen. Alting says Trustee Jennifer Teising 'is misinformed on what a public elected servant is,' summons Statehouse meeting to figure out what to do before Wabash Township firefighters are laid off

Jun 18, 2021

Now, for the latest twist in the Wabash Township saga.

State Sen. Ron Alting, a Lafayette Republican whose district covers the township on the outskirts of West Lafayette, has called a meeting at the Indiana Statehouse Monday to figure out how to de-escalate an ongoing feud between Wabash Township Trustee Jennifer Teising and, well, just about everyone else.

On Friday, Alting said he called the meeting at the Statehouse an effort "to stabilize Wabash Township,” as Teising moves to lay off the fire department’s three full-time firefighters by the end of June.

This week, Teising also closed the township office, citing – according to a sign on the Klondike Road door – a reduction in staff “and difficulty getting reliable internet coverage.” She moved her office hours, set for Tuesday through Thursday, to a private residence on Knox Drive in West Lafayette. Teising closed the office days after a blistering township board meeting spent largely on fire department funding, in which residents, firefighters and township advisory board members lambasted the trustee for three hours as she appeared remotely via Zoom.

Alting said he’s invited township officials, a member of the Legislative Services Agency who specializes in township government law, and lawyers with the Indiana Township Association and the Association of Indiana Counties. The meeting is not open to the public or media, Alting said.

Alting said he thought Teising should resign.

Short of that, Alting said Friday he had three priorities: assure firefighters have their jobs, reopen the township office and “get back to some norm.”

"I have gathered the best resources in the state that can help answer the questions of the members of the Wabash Township board and others regarding the actions of the Wabash trustee,” Alting said. “Our goal is to come out of this meeting better educated and explore what options we can take, in my opinion, to stabilize Wabash Township. …

"I would turn over every legal rock possible in trying to reinstate jobs that have been eliminated and the reopening of the Wabash Township office building.”

Teising did not immediately respond Friday to messages seeking comment or to say whether she would be at the meeting.

But at this week’s public meeting, she vowed to be at the township fire station for a 6 p.m. Tuesday emergency township board meeting. (She said that seconds before disconnecting from the meeting.)

Township board members have been working in what they’ve called crisis mode as the clock counts the days until the firefighters are let go.

Tuesday night, Teising insisted that she’d tried to come up with long-term plans to stabilize funding for the fire department without relying on emergency measures. She claimed she’d been left out to dry by township and county officials who wouldn’t commit to help create a fire district that would have the chance to provide sustainable revenue.

The township board tried to give her an out, passing a resolution that would allow her to move money from a fire department capital fund to a fire department fund for operations. The move, they said, would buy the township through 2023 to find long-term solutions while keeping the firefighters on the job.

Teising told the board and residents on Tuesday that she’d consider that option.

By Wednesday, she’d dug in.

Teising told them via email she had no intention to move money around in coming years – a gimmick she said would put off a larger problem for future trustees and boards. She said the three paid firefighters she was able to hire after she championed a tax-funded, 2020 emergency loan – one that brought in $440,000 to help expand an otherwise volunteer force – would still have June 29 as their last day.

Wabash Township Trustee Jennifer Teising appears via Zoom during a township board meeting Tuesday, June 15, at the township fire station.

She’s offered a plan to replace the full-time firefighters with part-timers for the rest of 2021. Residents gave that idea the thumbs down during Tuesday’s meeting.

She also accused the board of political theater, berating them via email for “the lengths you have gone to try and pretend like this is an issue created by me.”

Board members acknowledged that they had no sway over budget decisions. They also have no power to oust the trustee. Though, they called for her resignation after allegations that she’d moved out of the township and had been neglecting her duties. The Tippecanoe County Democratic Party Chair Jacque Chosnek, along with several West Lafayette City Council members, have called for her to resign, too.

Board members repeatedly told residents Tuesday night that they were rooting for the justice system to take her out of office. Teising was charged with 20 counts of theft, stemming from accusations that she collected biweekly paychecks while she lived outside the township. That case is scheduled for a trial in late July.

Short of a conviction or plea deal running her out, they said, there’s always the ballot box in November 2022.

Township Board President Angel Valentin declined Friday to comment about Alting’s meeting.

Ed Ward, the second of two fire chiefs fired by Teising, said he planned to be at the Statehouse Monday.

“I think it’s a fantastic opportunity for a couple reasons,” Ward said. “First, I believe that getting all of the stakeholders together in one room will help us focus our collective attention and drive in the most effective direction. Second, I think it’s so incredibly important that we attempt to find a way with our legislators to help prevent this situation from occurring again within another Indiana township. It’s incredibly promising to me and I believe that it will be very productive.”

On Friday, Alting expressed frustration with Teising, a Democrat elected in 2018.

“I think her struggle is she is misinformed on what a public elected servant is,” Alting said. “She works for the people, not the people work for her. She’s not closing her office to work from home as she sees it, but rather she is closing the people’s building. No. 1 responsibility of her job, mine or a mayor is public safety. She has violated that.”

Based in Lafayette, Indiana

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