Van Fossen out of jail, anxious to get back to work

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By Tory Brecht | Tuesday, April 17, 2007 9:35 PM CDT | () comments

(Updated 10:42 a.m.) Embattled 1st Ward Alderman Ron Van Fossen walked out of the Scott County Jail shortly before 9 a.m. today, clean and sober and ready to get back to work.

“I’m looking forward to getting back in the loop,” said Van Fossen, who has missed more than a month of meetings because of a stay at an alcohol rehabilitation facility then serving jail time following a guilty plea on domestic assault and for violating a no-contact order.

The alderman was sentenced last week to 20 days on the assault charge but all but seven days were suspended.

Van Fossen, who had minor heart surgery two days before entering the jail, said he’s feeling well and — despite a petition urging him to be removed from the council that has at least some support from other council members — plans to finish out his term.

“I’ve received cards and letters from 1st Ward people who are totally behind me,” he said. “It’s not like I went out and robbed a bank or anything. I had a problem with my ex-wife to be, and that’s over with now.”

He said he’s eager to give testimony on accusations of sexual harassment filed against him by council administrative assistant Cyndi Webb.

At the jail, he did not have access to television news and getting newspapers was difficult. He said he’s followed a little bit of the controversy over the ongoing role of the city administrator position and the aborted attempt to reorganize the city’s legal department.

“I heard some of (2nd Ward Alderman Shawn) Hamerlinck’s side of it and some of (7th Ward Alderman Barney) Barnhill’s, but I haven’t made up my mind on it.”

He also plans to attend a meeting today with Mayor Ed Winborn at 4 p.m. Winborn has not revealed the subject matter of the meetings, which are carefully scheduled with small groups of council members to avoid conflicting with Iowa open meetings laws.

Van Fossen said his stay in jail was uneventful.

“I never had any conflicts or anything like that,” he said. “I was in a pod with three other guys, and I got to read a lot of books. It wasn’t bad. One guy, a 76-year-old, and I got along real good.”

Tory Brecht can be contacted at (563) 383-2329 or tbrecht@qctimes.com.