“It wasn’t just me. He had a number of incidents where he just blew up,” alleged Bryant Moynihan, a former city councilman in Petaluma, Calif., talking about Kenmore City Manager Fred Stouder.

Stouder served as Petaluma city manager through 2002. In Kenmore, late last month, citing what he characterized as extensive and ongoing conflicts with City Councilman John Hendrickson, Stouder asked Kenmore Council to discuss the possibility of terminating his contract with the city. Thanks to the Internet, Moynihan was able to follow that story long-distance.

Not a fan of Stouder’s, Moynihan’s contention is that Stouder is exhibiting an established pattern of behavior.

“He can’t tolerate anyone questioning him,” Moynihan said.

“If everyone loved me, I’m not doing what is a tough job,” Stouder responded. He seemed to be aware that Moynihan and at least one other critic of his had responded to what is happening in Kenmore. Stouder added he is certain there are other public officials, past and present, who don’t like him, but feels that is par for the course after 40 years as a city manager or city administrator.

At the same time, Stouder expressed some surprise that Moynihan had spoken out.

“Actually, he and I got along pretty well,” Stouder contends, though he added the two had different ideas on some issues. Stouder also said he had a good relationship with the entire Petaluma City Council. A local Petaluma paper painted a somewhat different picture, stating Stouder had what were described as “several run-ins” with councilmembers.

For example, the paper portrayed Stouder as losing his temper during an apparently heated council discussion over wastewater.

“It’s hard enough to be a city manager,” Stouder is quoted as saying. “I’m not trained as an abnormal child psychologist.”

In recent comments, Stouder didn’t deny the quote and laughed when he heard it read back to him. He said it was meant lightheartedly, was a play on comments or quips he had made to several Petaluma councilmembers in private. Stouder added the comment was not directed at any one councilmember nor was is it meant to be insulting.

At least according to Moynihan, Stouder did not leave Petaluma under the best of circumstances. He said Stouder threatened to quit, but was instead granted a 13-percent raise in a 6-1 council vote. Moynihan’s was the dissenting vote. He added that despite the raise, Stouder quit his Petaluma position and took a job elsewhere in California two weeks later.

“He had a divided council to a certain extent and he fed into the rancor,” Moynihan alleged.

Stouder also had his detractors in the small town of Prosser, Wash., where he served as city administrator. According to a local paper there, Stouder was asked to leave when the incumbent mayor who hired him was defeated in a bid for re-election. At the time, Stouder declined to comment to the local media on his removal.

After Stouder left Prosser, that city paid out $175,000 to settle a public-records lawsuit filed by a resident. In the lawsuit, Larry Loges claimed Prosser, while Stouder was administrator, failed to fill or improperly filled 41 public-record requests made by Loges in 2006.

Loges also filed a federal lawsuit over a separate 2006 incident in which he claimed Prosser officials improperly removed from his property a sign displaying anti-government messages. It is not clear what happened in that case.

Loges could not be reached for comment. For his part, Stouder said everyone has the right to public information, but painted Loges’ public-records requests as excessive.

According to a Prosser City Council agenda bill, Stouder asked Prosser officials to create a new position just to handle public-records requests. According to the bill, in 2006, Prosser, with a population of about 4,800, was presented with 399 public-records requests. Prosser received another 136 requests by August of the following year, with over 63 percent coming from the same five people, one of them presumably being Loges.

Regarding the sign removed from Loges’ property, Stouder alleged Loges did not have the proper permits for the sign. He said he spoke with Loges’ attorney and with Prosser’s city attorney before having the sign removed.

According to Mayor David Baker, the next step for Kenmore is a council discussion regarding Stouder’s tenure with the city. He said as that discussion would pertain to a personnel matter, he expects it will take place in a closed-door, executive session. That meeting could happen sometime this month.

Baker insisted the issue is not one of money or a raise for Stouder.

“Let’s be clear here,” he said. “You don’t get severance pay when you quit… He (Stouder) has not had a raise since he’s been here and no raise is even being contemplated.”

Baker said he had heard of the problems Stouder allegedly had in other cities.

“There are two sides to every story,” he said. “All I can say is that Mr. Stouder, since he has been in our employ, has been nothing but an asset.”