Thursday, October 21, 1999
Edict halts inquiry of police chief
But decision may be illegal
BY TOM O'NEILL
The Cincinnati Enquirer
NEW RICHMOND — The divided Village Council's pursuit of allegations of malfeasance against Police Chief Landon Williams has ended — at least temporarily, village officials said Wednesday.
Its future depends on the unanswered question: Did Mayor Jack Gooding have a legal right to dismiss the charges at a public meeting Tuesday night at Village Hall?
“I don't know,” said Councilman Richard McKinley, who has pursued the charges. “We're investigating whether we have a recourse.”
The 12 charges against Chief Williams focused on his leadership abilities; but the council has discussed them collectively only in executive session, which isn't public.
At public events such as Tuesday night's meeting, attended by about 45 residents, the allegations were referred to but never explained.
Mr. McKinley said Village Solicitor Paul Cox is looking into the validity of the mayor's decision. If it stands, the charges are a dead issue.
Mr. Gooding said he's looking forward to that day.
“The goal is to get on with life and see if we can make this thing work,” he said Wednesday.
Chief Williams was unavailable for comment Wednesday.
His opponents on council had taken their concerns to the Clermont County Prosecutor's Office.
“There's nothing criminal that I saw,” Prosecutor Don White said Wednesday. “We were unable to determine what New Richmond was asking us. So we asked for more information and haven't heard back.”
The future of the entire New Richmond police force also has been reconsidered this year, when village officials looked into contracting with the county sheriff for police protection.
Several communities, including New Richmond neighbors Monroe Township and Moscow, contract with the sheriff.
But that plan now seems unlikely, several village officials say: The sheriff's proposal of $309,000 annually exceeded New Richmond's police budget by $9,000, and didn't include overtime and communication costs.
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