Tuesday, September 07, 1999
Ex-officers running for council
Dissolved force Dissolved dept. a hot issue in South Lebanon
BY RICHELLE THOMPSON
The Cincinnati Enquirer
SOUTH LEBANON — If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.
A year after losing their jobs when the South Lebanon council disbanded the police department, former Officers Derrick Hollon and Bryan Wanless are among four candidates for two council spots.
“I'm not doing this to get my job back,” said Mr. Wanless, a South Lebanon officer for seven years. “I am doing this to serve the people of the community again.”
Mr. Wanless and Mr. Hollon, who was police chief and a 13-year veteran, said they would consider reinstating the department if elected to council.
Their opponents, Gail Center and Richard Doughman, said they would oppose such a measure.
The candidacy of the two former officers is another chapter in what has been a year of drama for the village of 2,800 in southern Warren County.
Last August, against the backdrop of picketing residents both pro and con, council dissolved the police department in what they called a cost-saving measure. The board contracted with the Warren County Sheriff's Office to set up a South Lebanon post.
Council members also attributed their decision to problems within the department, including officers investigating one another and reports of missing police property.
Mr. Wanless and Mr. Hollon have said the move was politically motivated.
In fact, Mr. Wanless, along with another former officer, filed a $2 million federal lawsuit against the village in October, alleging harassment, revenge and slander.
The former officers said last week a village-run department would offer better service and save residents money.
According to Clerk-Treasurer Joe Owens, the police budget in 1998 was $277,700, covering five full-time officer salaries and operating expenses. This year, the village budgeted $338,016 for operating expenses and the same number of officers through the sheriff's office.
Mr. Hollon said his interest in a council seat is not an attempt to secure a position as chief again: “I'm not sure I would want it back.”
Instead, Mr. Hollon said, he is running “to bring back the people's voice.”
But Mr. Doughman and Mrs. Center said the people did speak — and they wanted the sheriff's deputies.
“I think they're better than what we had,” Mr. Doughman said. “They're seen around town more and do more patrolling.”
Mr. Doughman and Mrs. Center said the more important issue facing South Lebanon is its growth. Mrs. Center, who was appointed in December after Ann Herald resigned, supported the annexation of 90 acres on the southeast corner of the village.
Drees Homes plans to build 275 homes in Kingswicke subdivision, she said.
It's the first substantial growth the village has experienced since the 1950s, Mrs. Center said.
“There's been growth everywhere else around here. Now it's our turn,” she said.
The challenge for council, she said, is to maintain the village's small-town flavor while taking advantage of the growth and expanding the tax base.
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