Springfield chief resigns; trustees OK settlement

Hughes had been suspended for three months.

By MARY GRZEBIENIAK

VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT

NEW SPRINGFIELD — Embattled Springfield Township Fire Chief Brian Hughes has resigned.

Trustees read Hughes’ one sentence resignation at their meeting Wednesday and accepted it unanimously.

Hughes did not attend the meeting and was reportedly out of town because of a family member’s illness.

Trustees then approved a settlement and release agreement that provides that:

UHughes and the township drop all actions against each other.

UThe township removes all documents from Hughes’ personnel file pertaining to any discipline imposed on Hughes by the township and places them in a separate file which will only be released pursuant to a subpoena or public records request.

UWhen responding to inquiries made by potential future employers of Hughes, trustees will limit their response to stating that Hughes served as fire chief from 2003 to 2008 and voluntarily resigned. No further comments will be made.

UHughes and the township agree to drop all claims, lawsuits or future actions against each other.

UHughes drops his appeal of his suspension.

UThe township will pay him for three weeks’ vacation.

Hughes returned to work Jan. 31 from a 90-day unpaid suspension after he was found guilty by trustees in October of several charges for the April 25, 2005, training exercise at a Garfield Road barn fire.

The charges included unauthorized use of township property, willful neglect of duties, giving a false statement to a township police officer, failing to obtain Enviromental Protection Agency burn permits, which resulted in a $4,000 fine, violating EPA laws, failing to supervise subordinates and unnecessarily endangering the public.

During Hughes’ three-month suspension, trustees downgraded his position from a full-time job paying $41,130 to a part-time job without benefits.

Trustees had no immediate plans for replacing Hughes. First Capt. Matt Gebhardt served as part-time interim fire chief during Hughes’ suspension.