Court reverses firing of former Bristol Assistant Chief Craiger

By Ed Runyan

runyan@vindy.com

WARREN

A Trumbull County judge has ruled that the Bristol Township trustees acted improperly when they fired Assistant Fire Chief Steve Craiger on Sept. 4, 2012. The ruling reverses the trustees’ decision.

But Judge Andrew Logan of Trumbull County Common Pleas Court went a step further in his ruling last week, saying the participation of Trustee Ramon French in a disciplinary hearing involving Craiger suggested another type of impropriety because French is the brother of the former fire chief, Roger French, who brought the charges against Craiger.

The Aug. 15, 2012, disciplinary hearing was a quasijudicial proceeding, the court said. “As such, it is subject to high standards of fairness and due process and should be free from the appearance of impropriety,” the ruling said.

Ramon French “not only was involved in the proceeding, he moderated the proceedings ... and frequently questioned the witnesses at the conclusion of their testimony,” it said.

Such conduct is questionable because of the “close familial relationship involved” and should be avoided in the future, the court said.

“Equally disconcerting to the Court is an exchange between Trustee [Douglas] Seemann and Craiger regarding the bid process involving a company with which Seemann was involved at the time.” the court’s ruling said.

“This bid process did not have anything directly to do with the charges against Craiger and the continued line of questioning by Seemann as to the bids was inappropriate and improper,” the judge said.

Attempts to reach Ramon French and Doug Seemann by telephone to learn whether they would appeal the decision were unsuccessful.

Craiger was fired after 30 years with the department. He had been placed on paid administrative leave in January 2012 after he was accused of eavesdropping on the conversations of fire department personnel through use of computers.

However, in the ruling, the court said Chief Roger French was aware that Craiger had installed audio and video surveillance capabilities on fire department computers and told Craiger he thought it “could be a good idea.”

Further, there was no indication Craiger used the audio and video feed to monitor employees except for one time when he showed two other employees how he could view the audio and video feed from a remote location, and Chief French “offered no evidence of any improper use,” the ruling said.

As to allegations that Craiger had improperly used a fire department computer to upload inappropriate photographs, the court ruled that many employees uploaded personal photos, and one that showed volunteers on a project involving a pond on township property “mooning” Craiger had occurred without Craiger’s knowledge.

“It is unreasonable and arbitrary to terminate the employment of an individual who merely was the unsuspecting photographer, not the participant,” the court said.

In November, the Bristol Township trustees accepted the resignation of Fire Chief Roger French effective Jan. 1, 2014. Roger French asked to remain as volunteer emergency medical technician and assistant fire chief.

Seemann and Ramon French were re-elected to new four-year terms as trustees in November.