Poor Financial Advice

Financial Experts on the Fire Board? Public Deserves Better.

ST GEORGE LOUISIANA — In a revealing twist of irony, two of the current commissioners on the St. George Fire Board—Darrell Ourso and Chris Rosendahl—aren’t just political appointees. They’re financial professionals. Ourso is the chairman of the board and owner of Ourso Financial Services, while Rosendahl works for Penn Mutual, a national insurance and wealth management company.

These are individuals who make their living advising others on how to responsibly manage money, reduce liability, and avoid unnecessary risk. Yet, in their roles as public stewards on the Fire Board, their actions have cost taxpayers dearly.

Under their financial watch, the St. George Fire Department has received repeated criticisms for its fiscal stewardship, including troubling audit findings and missed bond payments. Even worse, these commissioners recently rejected a settlement offer from the St. George Professional Firefighters Association Local 4524—a resolution that would have saved taxpayers more than $20 million.

Instead, they doubled down on litigation, greenlighting a lawsuit against their own firefighters—many of whom are already retired or nearing retirement age. These are public servants who spent decades protecting the community, and now they’re being targeted with financial retaliation. That decision was not just fiscally reckless—it was morally bankrupt.

“We’re not just talking about a bad financial decision. We’re talking about betrayal,” said a union spokesperson. “Ourso and Rosendahl know better. They manage other people’s money every day. But when it came to protecting the public’s money—and standing by the people who serve this community—they failed.”

The public deserves transparency, accountability, and leadership that prioritizes long-term savings and respect for those who risk their lives daily. Financial titles mean nothing if you refuse to apply those principles when it matters most.

As this lawsuit unfolds, taxpayers should ask: why did two financial professionals choose the most expensive and punitive path forward? Who are they really protecting—our firefighters, or their own egos?

St. George Professional Firefighters Local 4524 remains committed to transparency, fairness, and responsible governance. We stand with the community—and we will not be silenced!