Terbrock Rails on Reporting of Ballwin Alderman’s Death

Ballwin Board of Aldermen member James Terbrock announced at Monday’s council meeting that he was “furious” that a report was published regarding the death of Ballwin Alderman Ken Mellow prior to an official city announcement.

Terbrock said news outlets should have waited for a formal statement to be made on behalf of the city regarding Mellow’s death before publishing any reports.

“It should have never been made in respect to the family,” Terbrock said of the . “Anybody that knew Ken knew that he was a pretty private person.”

For the first time since Mellow’s death on Saturday, Aug. 6, Mayor Tim Pogue made a public announcement regarding the news at Monday’s council meeting, which was nine days after Mellow’s passing. During that time, Pogue sought nominations for two appointees to the board, both of whom were approved without dissent on Monday. Kathy Kerlagon will represent Ward 4 until April 2012, at which point she may opt for re-election for one year to finish out Mellow’s term. Shamed Dogan was appointed to Ward 2 to replace Alderman Ron Markland, who retired in June. Dogan, too, may run for re-election in April 2012 for a standard, two-year term.

“It definitely was a privilege working with Ken the last two years,” Pogue said. “Ken was a man of (few) words, but he was a very inspiring man. I enjoyed getting to know him, and he definitely will be missed.”

City Administrator Bob Kuntz said the city stood by its decision to abstain from a formal announcement sooner.

“We discussed it, and we don’t have a lot of precedent, but if you’re going to err, I’ll take as much of the blame there…I’m erring on the side of being sensitive to the family,” Kuntz said.

Terbrock said media reports on Mellow's death made before an official statement from the mayor were inappropriate.

“They were instructed to hold back a day and get it so Tim (Pogue) could get it, their wish, to the public as far as how they wanted it. I’m actually pretty sick about it. That was absolutely wrong,” Terbrock said. “They were instructed not to put that out there, and they did.”

“I’m absolutely furious about it, actually,” he said.

Pogue agreed.

“We talked to family regarding how they wanted to handle media relations, and they said to have the media contact them,” Pogue said Monday.

Sunday, Aug. 7, the day after Mellow’s death, Pogue said he would handle all media inquiries.

Prior to Terbrock’s statements, at least one member of the public, former Ballwin Mayor Walt Young, told council members that he wished the city had made a formal statement earlier or posted a notice on the City of Ballwin website.

“I thought … we could at least have had a little blurb on the front (website) page, that way those people that weren’t informed of it, they would know about it,” Young said to the council. “I would have liked to have seen something in writing.”

Dogan and Kerlagon, the newly appointed aldermen, are scheduled to take their oaths of office at the Sept. 12 council meeting.