Area veterans are organizing in support of Bob Nelson, the Crow Wing County veteran services officer whose reappointment is under consideration by the county board following accusations of unsatisfactory job performance from his superiors.
"We have a brother in distress who has helped us out," said Justin Doerfler, an Army National Guard veteran who was deployed in Afghanistan. "Now, it's time to stand up and have our brother's back."
Doerfler and other concerned veterans met Monday to discuss how best to support Nelson and influence the Crow Wing County Board to retain him as the veteran services officer (VSO). Since last Tuesday's county board meeting where Nelson's performance was discussed, the informal group has raised more than $1,000 to buy an advertisement in the Brainerd Dispatch praising his work with veterans and calling for his reappointment.
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"We have a brother in distress who has helped us out," said Justin Doerfler, an Army National Guard veteran who was deployed in Afghanistan.
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The goal, the group said, is to gather as many as 500 veterans to attend the county board's Feb. 24 meeting, where commissioners are set to make a decision on whether to reappoint Nelson. Nelson is one of three county employees the board must reappoint every four years as required by state law.
"If they take Bob (Nelson) out of there, they are going to ruin the continuity they've established," said Daryl Bahma, an Army veteran who served during the Vietnam War. "They (county administration) need to stop all this nitpicking that goes on."
According to community services and human resources officials, Nelson, who was hired in 2007, is failing to meet expectations established by his supervisors to manage his office and provide a business plan outlining success measurements and future goals.
Sheila Skogen, customer relations division manager in community services, and Kara Terry, director of community services, outlined numerous attempts to work with Nelson in establishing a plan, an expectation of various program coordinators within the division.
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"If they take Bob (Nelson) out of there, they are going to ruin the continuity they've established," said Daryl Bahma, an Army veteran who served during the Vietnam War.
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"Our VSO has not complied with the direction provided by his supervisor," Terry told the board last week. "He has outwardly refused, resisted and been vocally critical of our expectations. His performance as a member of our leadership team is unacceptable."
Tamra Laska, human resources director, provided evidence Nelson knew his expectations and the consequences should he fail to meet them and continued to act in defiance.
"Current performance will not sustain to continued employment," Laska told the board she wrote in an email to Nelson last summer.
In response, Nelson said he would not deny the information provided by his superiors and admitted he was not perfect, but the needs of the veterans should come first before other obligations.
"I could have done all the things to work hard to save my job," Nelson said. "I'd rather work for the veterans. I'd rather work for the guys that put their life on the line and help them get their benefits. The other things, well, in my mind they're secondary. I'm there to serve veterans, that's what I felt I was hired for."
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"Our VSO has not complied with the direction provided by his supervisor," Kara Terry, director of community services told the board last week.
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Nelson's commitment to veterans and the service he provides should supercede concerns related to his management skills and supervisory responsibilities, Nelson's supporters said, noting Crow Wing County ranks high among Minnesota counties for gathering veteran benefits.
A recent state audit ranked Nelson's office as eighth out of all county VSOs in terms of collecting benefits, a statistic shared by Terry at last Tuesday's meeting.
Some of the concerns shared by veterans stemmed back to the 2008 reorganization of county government, when veteran services was moved from a stand-alone county office to one under the jurisdiction of community services. At the time, some veterans expressed disdain for the move, noting veterans seeking benefits should not be viewed as welfare recipients.
According to Tim Houle, county administrator, the reasoning behind the move came from both a desire to streamline county government and a recognition that some veterans also need assistance from other areas of community services.
For Nelson's supporters, the changes led to layers of bureaucracy they believe is making his job more difficult to perform.
"The board appoints him, so he should be answering to the board, and to the board alone, period," said Bill Wroolie, a Vietnam-era Army veteran. "He should be a department head."
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"The board appoints him, so he should be answering to the board, and to the board alone, period," said Bill Wroolie, a Vietnam-era Army veteran.
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Nelson's supervisors did not dispute his commitment to veterans or whether he performed those aspects of the job satisfactorily.
"This is not about whether Mr. Nelson processes applications or secures benefits for our veterans," Terry told the board. "This is about a failure of leadership and alignment with our organizational priorities."
Terry said any program coordinator in community services could make the argument their clients should come first before supervisory obligations, whether it be vulnerable adults, children in abusive situations or people with disabilities.
For Nelson's supporters, it is a matter of who has the knowledge and experience to fully understand veterans issues, and for them, the person for the job is Nelson, a veteran himself.
The board is required to give Nelson 90 days notice should they choose to not reappoint him and is set to take up the issue at its Feb. 24 meeting.
CHELSEY PERKINS may be reached at 855-5874 or chelsey.perkins@brainerddispatch.com . Follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/DispatchChelsey .
