North Royalton Residents please make sure you vote all the way down your ballots. Because there are four Charter Amendments on the November 3, 2020 General Election Ballot. Most importantly Issue #24 is another attempt by the North Royalton Mayor after his failed unilateral closure of our city jail to undermine public safety of the community by rewarding political cronies jobs, a power grab to silence any future chiefs from not doing his will or bidding, and creates an opportunity to possibly defund our police department by making both police and fire divisions under a new “Public Safety Department” if the Charter Amendment is approved.
What is Issue #24 Ballot Language?
Proposed Charter Amendment
City of North Royalton
A majority affirmative vote is required for passage.
Shall the Charter of the City of North Royalton be amended to repeal and replace Article VII to create a new Department of Public Safety, which shall include the Divisions of Police and Fire?
YES
Or
NO
Source: County Board of Elections Ballot Issues List pgs 9-10 https://boe.cuyahogacounty.gov/pdf_boe/en-US/2020/Nov2020/Nov2020IssuesList.pdf
What does Issue #24 change in the City of North Royalton Charter?
ARTICLE VII POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENT
(a) COMPOSITION
There shall be a Police Department, which shall be composed of the Chief of Police and such other officers, policemen and deputies as may from time to time be provided by ordinance of the Council, and a Fire Department, which shall be composed of the Chief of the Fire Department and such other officers and firemen, on a full or part-time basis, as may from time to time be provided by ordinance of the Council.
(b) CHIEFS; APPOINTMENT; VACANCY.
The Chief of Police and the Chief of the Fire Department shall be appointed by the Mayor from the ranks of the respective departments, in the manner hereinafter provided. When either office shall for any reason become vacant a suitable examination shall be given by and under the direction of the Civil Service Commission, to such members of the department who have obtained the rank of sergeant or higher, and desire to be considered therefor. The Mayor shall make the appointment from among the two persons receiving the highest grade on the examination and certified as such by the Civil Service Commission. Such appointment to be subject to confirmation by the majority vote of the members elected to Council. Such appointee shall serve during good behavior, as is hereafter provided. (11-7- 67)
(c) CHIEFS; REMOVAL.
The Council may remove the Chief of Police or the Chief of the Fire Department for gross misconduct or malfeasance, misfeasance, or nonfeasance in or disqualification for office or conviction while in office of a crime involving moral turpitude; provided, however, that such removal shall not take place without the concurrence of two-thirds (2/3) of the members elected to Council. In addition thereto, the Council may remove the Chief of Police or the Chief of the Fire Department from office for any cause deemed by it sufficient upon the concurrence of three-fourths (3/4) of the members elected to Council. In the event removal of the Chief of Police or the Chief of the Fire Department is sought for any cause, such official shall be notified in writing of the charge against him or her at least ten (10) days in advance of any hearing upon such charge and he or she or his or her counsel shall be given an opportunity to be heard, present evidence and examine any witnesses appearing in support of such charge. The resolution removing such official shall set forth in full reasons therefor. (11-4- 97)
(d) EXISTING CHIEFS.
The persons holding the offices of Chief of Police and Chief of the Fire Department at the time of the taking effect of this Charter shall not be required to be reappointed hereunder, but shall continue to hold such offices, subject to all provisions and terms herein: but further provided, that until such time as the Council shall by ordinance provide and establish a Fire Department having a full-time Chief, the Chief of the Fire Department shall be appointed by the Mayor with the concurrence of a majority of the members elected to Council and may be removed by the Mayor at any time for any cause with the concurrence of two-thirds (2/3) of the members elected to Council.
(e) APPOINTMENTS, FULL-TIME, FIRE DEPARTMENT.
When the Council, pursuant to paragraph (a) of this Article, establishes one or more full-time positions in the Fire Department, original appointments to such full-time positions as are initially established by the Council and to any additional full-time positions created within 730 days following the establishment of the initial full-time positions together with appointment to any vacancy occurring in any such position occurring within 730 days following the establishment of the initial full-time positions, shall be made pursuant to competitive Civil Service examinations among the then members of the Volunteer Fire Department of the Municipality without limitation as to the age of the applicant; except that the first original appointments to full-time positions shall be appointments to the full-time positions of Chief and subordinate officers and during such 730 day period appointments to the positions of Chief and subordinate officers shall be made directly by majority vote of the members of Council from among the then members of the Volunteer Fire Department without competitive examination and without limitation as to the age of the appointee. Such examinations shall be administered and graded in the manner provided in Article XI of this Charter. The eligibility list resulting from the examinations shall remain in force until all applicants receiving a passing grade have received or declined appointments or until the expiration of said 730 days, whichever occurs first.
If the eligibility list resulting from examinations under this paragraph (e) is exhausted prior to the expiration of said 730 days, a subsequent eligibility list may be established in the manner provided for the original eligibility list. If no eligibility list results from examinations given pursuant to this paragraph, then such appointments in the Fire Department shall be made pursuant to Article XI. Following the expiration of said 730 days, appointments to full-time positions shall be made pursuant to Article XI.
Appointments to full-time positions in the Fire Department shall be original appointments and shall not be considered promotions from Volunteer Fireman. To the extent possible, officers of the Fire Department shall be full-time firemen. (11-8- 60)
(f) APPOINTMENTS; PAID CALL FIREFIGHTER.Appointments to the position of Paid Call Firefighter shall be made in the manner prescribed by ordinance of Council, and shall not be subject to Civil Service. (11-3- 81; 11-4- 97)
ARTICLE VII DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY
(a) DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC SAFETY.
The Mayor may appoint a Director of Public Safety subject to confirmation by a majority of the members of City Council. The Director of Public Safety shall have charge of the Department of Public Safety. The Director of Public Safety shall supervise both the Division of Fire and the Division of Police, shall approve of and is responsible for the enforcement all necessary rules and regulations for the governance of the Department. The Director of Public Safety shall perform such other duties as may be required by this Charter, by ordinance or as directed by the Mayor. In the absence of a Director all such duties and obligations of Safety Director shall be the responsibility of the Mayor.
(b)DIVISIONS.
The Department of Public Safety shall consist of the following Divisions:
(i) The Division of Fire
(ii) The Division of Police
(c) DIVISION OF FIRE.
The Division of Fire shall be headed by a Fire Chief who shall have active charge of and responsibility for organization and operation of said Division. All appointments to the Division, except the Chief, shall be made in accord with the Civil Service Rules and Regulations of the City of North Royalton.
(d) DIVISION OF POLICE.
The Division of Police shall be headed by a Police Chief who shall have active charge of and responsibility for organization and operation of said Division. All appointments to the Division, except the Chief, shall be made in accord with the Civil Service Rules and Regulations of the City of North Royalton.
(e) APPOINTMENT OF FIRE CHIEF AND POLICE CHIEF.
The Fire Chief and the Police Chief shall be appointed by the Mayor from among those qualified candidates who apply. Such appointment is subject to confirmation by a majority of the members of City Council. Such appointee shall serve at the pleasure of the Mayor. The Mayor may select a chief from within or without the Division of Fire or Division of Police, respectively. Any candidate selected must have had at least ten (10) years of experience in the profession. A candidate selected from within the Division may choose, upon removal, to be reinstated to that individual’s former rank with full benefits within fourteen (14) days of removal. In the event of a vacancy in the office of chief said position shall be filled in the same manner as provided for original appointment.
Note: Red indicates changes proposed if approved.
Source: Ordinance 20-92 http://www.northroyalton.org/pdf_northroyalton/en-US/CouncilOffice/Legislation/2020Legislation/20-092.pdf
Some Reasons Why You Should Vote NO on Issue #24
- Charter Amendment is NOT supported by any of the Public Safety Forces of the City of North Royalton.
- Not supported by some current and former Elected Officials.
- 2016 City of North Royalton Charter Review Commission was against this Amendment and did not put it on the November 2016 General Election Ballot.
- Ballot language for Charter Amendment is extremely short (less than about 28 words), vague, confusing, misleading, and meant to trick voters.
- Charter Amendment lacks transparency in explaining what voters are really approving and the dramatic impact it will have on the city’s overall public safety.
- Gets rid of the current Civil Service Commission’s power in helping select from the top candidates for the Fire Chief and Police Chief which prevents cronyism, corruption, and politicization of our Public Safety forces.
- Makes the process of selecting Police Chief and Fire Chief a political one. Public safety should never be political. Period. It is the largest part of the city’s budget and the most important we all count on sometimes with our lives when we call 911.
- Charter Amendment would give the Mayor more power so they can pick someone who is only loyal to them and them alone. In an effort to prevent a Police or Fire Chief from speaking out against the Mayor. For example when Police Chief Ken Bilinovich spoke against the Mayor Antoskiewicz’s unilateral closure earlier this year of the city jail that was later reversed. After the Chief and community members raised opposition to it.
- Lowers the standards for the Police and Fire Chief to just only a qualification required of 10 years within the profession.
- Does not modernize the Police or Fire Department. It would set back all the positive progress that has been made under the current Charter of better equipment, good vehicles, updated policies and procedures, and even recently the Police Department has begun using both vehicle and body dash cameras.
- If approved the Charter Amendment would merge both the Police Department and Fire Department into divisions under a newly created Department of Public Safety. Such a move would make them open to privatization/outsourcing and unilateral changes by the Mayor since they would be a “division” and not a “department”. If you are a division under a separate section of the current City Charter under Article IX and Article IV (d). It has been used as a legal justification by former and current Mayors to justify eliminating the City’s Dispatchers and most recently in the attempted closure of the city jail.
- Changing especially police departments to a new department of public safety is part of a national effort that is anti-police in nature and to ultimately in some cases try to defund it.
Sources:
*July 7, 2020 North Royalton City Council Meeting file:///C:/Users/Owner/AppData/Local/Temp/070720-1.pdf
*https://www.facebook.com/DanLangshawNR/photos/a.404228218748/10158559292748749/
*March 16, 2016 North Royalton Charter Review Commission Meeting Minutes file:///C:/Users/Owner/AppData/Local/Temp/031616.pdf
*Cuyahoga County Board of Elections Ballot Issues List page 10 https://boe.cuyahogacounty.gov/pdf_boe/en-US/2020/Nov2020/Nov2020IssuesList.pdf )
*Ordinance 20-92 http://www.northroyalton.org/pdf_northroyalton/en-US/CouncilOffice/Legislation/2020Legislation/20-092.pdf
*Planned closure of North Royalton Jail Causes Backlash News Channel 5 Cleveland June 19, 2020
https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/local-news/planned-closure-of-north-royalton-jail-causes-backlash
*North Royalton City Charter IX http://www.northroyalton.org/en-US/Code-of-Ordinances.aspx
*North Royalton City Charter IV (d) http://www.northroyalton.org/en-US/Code-of-Ordinances.aspx
*Royalton Recorder, September 24, 2020
*Royalton Post, September 23, 2020
*Dan Kasaris Facebook post, September 26, 2020
*Minneapolis Council Moves To Defund Police, Establish ‘Holistic’ Public Safety Force NPR June 26, 2020 https://www.npr.org/sections/live-updates-protests-for-racial-justice/2020/06/26/884149659/minneapolis-council-moves-to-defund-police-establish-holistic-public-safety-forc
*Group seeking to replace Cincinnati Police with public safety department WCPO Cincinnati August 14, 2020
https://www.wcpo.com/news/local-news/hamilton-county/cincinnati/group-seeking-to-replace-cincinnati-police-with-public-safety-department
What People are Saying about why you should Vote NO on Issue #24
Letter to Editor in Royalton Recorder (pg 9) by Mark Fyock, Retired North Royalton Police. Dated October 22, 2020.
Letter to Editor in Royalton Recorder (pg 9) by J.P. Michalak. Dated October 22, 2020.
Letter to Editor in Royalton Recorder (pg 8) by Joe Cepik, Retired Sergeant North Royalton Police Department. Dated October 22, 2020.
Letter to Editor in Royalton Recorder (pg 8) by Melanie Mason. Dated October 22, 2020.
Protesting Issue #24, The Post Newspapers. October 11, 2020.
North Royalton residents hold protest against Issue 24 involving first responders, News Channel 5. October 10, 2020.
Letter to the Editor by Mark Fyock Retired North Royalton police officer in North Royalton Post. Dated October 6, 2020.
Letter to Editor in North Royalton Recorder (pg 8) by Jim Gross, Retired North Royalton Detective/D.A.R.E. Officer. Dated September 24, 2020.
Letter to Editor in North Royalton Recorder (pg 8) by Thomas R. McGough III. Dated September 24, 2020.
Letter to Editor in Post Newspapers by Dan Langshaw former North Royalton Ward 3 Councilman Dan Langshw. Dated September 23, 2020.
Source: https://northroyaltonpost-oh.newsmemory.com/?selDate=20200923&goTo=E018&artid=0
Vote no on Issue 24 to keep North Royalton safe
To the Editor:
I urge all North Royalton residents to not be fooled by Issue 24 on the November General Election Ballot and vote no. Since the jail closure failed, Issue 24 is another attempt by Mayor Antoskiewicz to undermine the safety our community and reward political cronies.
If approved, Issue 24 will make our community less safe and hurt our future. Here are some reasons why.
First, it is not supported by any of the public safety forces in our community. Second, the 2016 Charter Review Commission was against this change. Third, it lacks transparency in explaining what voters are really approving and the dramatic impact it will have on the city’s overall public safety for decades. Fourth, it gets rid of the current Civil Service Commission’s power in helping select top candidates for the fire chief and police chief, which prevents cronyism, corruption, and politicization of our public safety forces. Fifth, the amendment is in retaliation against Police Chief Bilinovich for speaking out against the mayor’s attempted closure of our city jail. Sixth, it lowers the standards for the police and fire chief to one qualification, which is to have 10 years of experience within the profession.
Seventh, it would merge both the police and fire departments into divisions under a new Department of Public Safety, essentially making them open to privatization/outsourcing and unilateral changes by the mayor, since they would be a “division” and not a “department,” which has been a tactic of the defund the police movement nationally.
Public safety should never be political. Period. It is the most important service we all count on. Vote no on Issue 24 to keep our community safe and politics out of our safety forces!
Dan Langshaw
2012 Charter Review Commission & Safety Committee Chairman & Former Councilman North Royalton
Robert Chegan, North Royalton Fire Chief
“Chief Chegan stated he wished to address the Charter Amendment – Article VII. He would like to back Lt. Tarase who spoke with you and also described his thoughts in the article in the Royalton Recorder as well, the appointment of the Fire and Police Chiefs. Chief Chegan stated this does not affect me, I am here representing Fire and the Police Officers (present and future). That is my support to them. This Charter Review Commission asking for input in regards to what was being discussed. This time there was no input for the present Chief’s to go over this. The biggest part of the “no input”, you can look at the lack of qualifications in the way the amendment is written, where you have to be in the profession for 10 years, that’s it. No supervisory experience, no rank from the outside. I believe Lt. Tarase did speak regarding the people we do have within the City. The officers, our future officers too, there is a better way of doing this, I think this was rushed a little bit without any deep input. If they are looking for a larger pool of candidates, there is another way of doing things. The city of Strongsville attempted to do the same a few years back and again that failed as well too. My point is, how well our Administration works and he appreciates the Mayor and what he has done, especially this last 9 months – unprecedented. To have the support I have from him, we’ve also had disagreements too, and I am concerned about political appointments in the future. I speak very highly of the work our Administration has done, I don’t think you could have asked for a worst year to start off as Mayor, first of all. I have been here almost 30 years and I know that we have a lot of good people here. I wanted to address Council and the residents regarding the positions of our officers, future officers and people that we have here.”
Source: September 15, 2020 North Royalton City Council Meeting: file:///C:/Users/Owner/AppData/Local/Temp/091520%20Minutes.pdf
Letter to Editor in North Royalton Recorder (pg 8) by North Royalton Police Department Lieutenant Keith Tarase. Dated September 3, 2020.
Linda Barath, North Royalton Ward 2 Councilwoman
“Ms. Barath stated I want to reiterate that yes; this would not be a vote of mine and I want to encourage everyone in this audience to start your campaigning. If this is something you don’t want, you need to get it out to your friends, neighbors and they should go to the polls and tell us this is not what we want.”
Source: July 7, 2020 North Royalton City Council Meeting file:///C:/Users/Owner/AppData/Local/Temp/070720-1.pdf
Anton Krieger, Resident & Former Candidate for North Royalton Ward 1 City Council
“Mr. Krieger stated the piece of legislation that I wanted to speak about was 20-92. I think the Civil Service Commission is really important, it was implemented long ago to prevent cronyism and I just implore the City Council members to educate all the residents to know how to vote this November. I know it’s going to be on the ballot this November, there’s really not much you guys can do about it now. I just ask that you guys take a stand so we can prevent cronyism and encourage the Civil Service Commission to continue in the selection of our Fire Chief and Police Chief. Thank you.”
Source: July 7, 2020 North Royalton City Council Meeting file:///C:/Users/Owner/AppData/Local/Temp/070720-1.pdf
Lieutenant Keith Tarase, North Royalton Police Department
“I’m Lt. Keith Tarase and for nearly a quarter of a century I have served the residents of North Royalton. This, in its entirety, is longer than anyone on Council, and I dare to say, longer than all of your years of service combined. During that time, I’ve spent 9 years in Patrol, 6 years as a Sergeant, and the past 8 years as a Lieutenant. From day one I have given my heart and soul to this department and community, striving to be the best police officer that I could be and to lift up those around me to be their best as well. I take pride in saying that every day I try to leave this agency better than the day before. With that being said, I find it sad that this Charter Review Commission believes, and have publicly stated in the proposed ordinance, that the North Royalton Police Department is not professional or modern. I strongly believe the opposite and from my interactions with the community, I know the majority of the North Royalton residents feel the same as I do.I know this because of the contributions I have been a part of for our police department that have moved us in a positive direction. Whether it was by receiving as much training as possible, ensuring that our officers received proper training, writing or updating policies and procedures, or looking at ways that technology can help us do a better job, it was all done to provide better service to this community. I consider this above and beyond being professional.Please stop and think of the message that this legislation says to the officers of NRPD and what message does this send to the community? I can tell you what it says to those who have spoken to me and what I think it says. It is as close to a statement of “no confidence” as you can get without saying those words. That we are unprofessional, and no matter how hard you work at your profession and contribute to the safety of this community, our officers will never be capable of serving as Chief of Police because the Mayor and Council gets to decide that someone from outside this Department knows what is best for the safety of the community. What is the advantage of doing your job to the best of your ability and achieving advancements through the ranks if that is the case?I am highly offended that the Council and Charter Commission call my fellow officers unprofessional and I voice my opinion here tonight to defend my fellow officers. Neither of these groups are qualified to do so! You do not know my fellow officers, how hard they work, their dedication to this community, or what they endure daily, just by wearing the uniform. The nights, weekends, and holidays that they are away from their families so that they can keep you and yours safe. So, I ask, how does this Charter Amendment make the Police Department more “modern”? What did you find that is not modern about it? We have had many upgrades to the department based on decisions and policies implemented by this group – solid equipment, good vehicles, updated policies and procedures, and have even begun using vehicle and body cameras. All of this being done under the current City Charter. So how does the proposed Charter Amendment allow for the “highest professional caliber from the largest available pool of qualified candidates…” when the only qualification required is 10 years within the profession? Sure, that creates a larger pool but definitely not a more qualified one. Chiefs that work in the best interest of the department and the officers usually have the best departments! These are the officers that through hard work and determination have achieved this status; not those that are appointed from outside the places they serve. This seems to be more of a political appointment. This proposed Charter Amendment is not only bad for both the Police and Fire Departments, it’s bad for the community.The proposed wording for the ballot is also short, vague and confusing for voters. It seems as if it’s being used to trick them into voting for the Amendment change without realizing what their vote actually means. There are just 28 words for voters to consider in completely changing the way that police and fire chiefs are picked in this city. Just 28! Doesn’t our community deserve better? More transparency from our elected leaders? In closing, I would like to state the obvious. Being a police officer is hard enough under normal circumstances, even more so in today’s environment. This is reflected in so many ways – specifically I can speak to the number of police applicants that has been dwindling over the years. With no hope of one day becoming Chief, how many less do you think are going to want to apply for OUR test in the fall? I will also remind the council and the Mayor once again, this Department is full of MY COWORKERS who are professional officers committed to this city and yet the continued actions against the Department will force good officers out of the job for less qualified, political appointments. This and the former Administration has been fond of out-sourcing city services for a number of years. Are the Police and Fire Departments next? For the safety, well-being and overall wellness of the fine residents of this city, I hope not! If you decide to approve this ordinance, I believe the residents will see through this thinly veiled attempt to usurp the department and jeopardize the safety of our community. I believe they are smart enough to do just that!Who know our city better? A complete outsider, or one of its own officers and potential residents? I don’t even think I need to answer this, but I will. One of our own. And although I may not live here, this is my city, my residents to protect, and my community to be a part of. “
Please sign up for a shift or shifts for Election Day November 3, 2020 and urge voters to vote NO on Issue #24 that will hurt the safety and future of North Royalton. When volunteering, please wear a mask or face covering, proper social distancing, and hold up a sign or pass out literature to voters before they head inside their polling location. Also if you have any support the Police or Fire Shirts wear it to. Click Here to Sign Up NOW.
Click Here to view the rest of the Charter Amendments on the November 3, 2020 General Election Ballot.