Girard chief vows to fight to clear his name

By John W. Goodwin Jr.

GIRARD — The battle between Police Chief Frank Bigowsky and city officials is not over.

Bigowsky, Wednesday afternoon, stood on the grounds of the department he once commanded and declared that he would appeal a decision by city administration demoting him from chief to patrolman. The demotion will cost Bigowsky about $2,000 a year.

“I believe this investigation and discipline was the direct result of the complaint I filed against the administration. Their smear campaign and efforts to try me in the media speaks to the true character of this administration. When I appear before the civil service commission, I will have my opportunity to expose them for their attempts to impugn my honesty, integrity and reputation as a dedicated leader, manager and chief of police,” Bigowsky said in a written statement.

Bigowsky has nine days left to appeal the city’s decision to the civil service commission. He said he will appear for work as ordered, in uniform as a patrolman, until the civil service commission has ruled on his appeal.

Mayor James Melfi, who has said Bigowsky was a “poor manager” of the police department, maintains that the charges against Bigowsky were not a result of any personal vendetta.

“It’s quite obvious that the chief and his legal counsel are trying to make this a personal feud between chief and the mayor. That is simply not true. We have better things to do and more work to do in this office,” said Melfi. “We are not going to bring charges forward only to be embarrassed down the line.”

For more on this story, please see Thursday’s Vindicator or Vindy.com.