Interim chief to step down

The new chief will also serve on an interim basis.
By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
HUBBARD -- The city is now operating with its third police chief in little more than three months after the abrupt retirement of acting chief Kenneth Oyler.
Mayor Arthur Magee said Oyler informed his office by letter Tuesday of his decision to retire. He said no specific reason for the retirement was offered.
"After careful thought and for personal reasons, I have chosen to retire from the Hubbard City Police Department effective immediately," the letter states.
Magee said officer Jim Taafe, 46, is interim police chief. Magee would not say if Taafe, a longtime member of the city police department, could be considered for the position permanently.
Former chief
No one, Magee said, will be considered for the position until issues concerning former Police Chief Martin Kanetsky have been resolved. Kanetsky was placed on administrative leave in early August.
Magee at that time would not say why Kanetsky had been placed on leave. He did say the decision was not made solely based on an unfair labor practice ruling against Kanetsky from the State Employment Relations Board.
An attachment to the unfair labor practice charge, filed by Fraternal Order of Police-Ohio Labor Council on behalf of Oyler earlier this year, said when Oyler was approached by Magee and Law Director Gary Gilmartin in July 2004 and asked to discuss Kanetsky's job performance, Kanetsky was "eavesdropping" on the conversation.
Later that day, the attachment said, Kanetsky and Detective Robert J. Altier met with Oyler, and Kanetsky accused him of disloyalty. The complaint claims Kanetsky said, "If I was vindictive, I'd put you on night turn and forget about you."
The unfair labor practice charge claimed that Oyler was then placed on an undesirable midnight shift as retaliation.
Ruling
A SERB ruling agreed with the charge and ordered that Oyler be returned to the day shift. As part of a settlement agreement between the city and FOP, the city tried to make Kanetsky comply with the order by returning Oyler to his day shift.
"The city and the FOP further agree and acknowledge that despite these direct orders, the chief has not returned Sgt. Oyler to his day-shift position," according to the settlement agreement.
SERB said the city "will notify Chief Kanetsky and will take action against Chief Kanetsky up to and including termination" if he failed to comply with the orders.
Gilmartin, at the time of Kanetsky's placement on administrative leave, said the SERB investigation and findings may be a part of the current investigation related to Kanetsky -- but at most a small part of that investigation. He said new aspects of the investigation could not be discussed publicly.
Atty. Brian Kish of Betras, Maruca, Kopp, Harshman & amp; Bernard, the law firm defending Kanetsky, took issue with the mayor and the law director's reasoning. He said the chief was never notified of the SERB hearing or given the opportunity to defend himself in the proceedings. He said any investigation related to Kanetsky is solely for retaliation.
jgoodwin@vindy.com