A Cincinnati City Council member says he does not know what’s going on with Police Chief Teresa Theetge. Another Council member says he’s frustrated with how the situation has played out and he’s anxious for a resolution.
Sources told WVXU and our news partner The Business Courier last week that City Manager Sheryl Long asked Theetge to resign.
Long has not confirmed this. Her last public statement was Thursday, when she said she met with Theetge for "productive discussions regarding departmental matters." Long's office declined to comment Friday when WVXU confirmed Theetge has retained an employment attorney, and her office did not respond to a request for an update Monday.
Council member Scotty Johnson declined to answer any questions from reporters after an unrelated committee meeting at City Hall Monday afternoon.
"It's an administrative issue that I don't have a clue about. I don't know what's going on," Johnson told reporters. "All I know is what you guys have reported. Seriously."
It's true that authority to hire and fire the police chief resides with the city manager, not the mayor or City Council. But, the city manager reports to those elected officials, who act as her "boss." They have the discretion to fire the city manager if they disagree with her decisions.
Asked whether the lack of information is frustrating, Johnson replied: "Nope. Not for me."
WVXU reached out to all nine council members for comment Monday. Jeff Cramerding was the only other member to respond. He says he is frustrated.
"It's certainly within the manager's discretion to make personnel decisions," Cramerding said. "We are pushing everyone in the administration to address this perception of public safety issues, so I respect the manager's discretion. I am frustrated with how this played out in a public way, because I think that's just unfortunate and not the best way to handle situations like this."
Cramerding says as far as he is aware, Theetge remains in charge of the police department, and he says he is confident in the city's ability to handle public safety right now.
"I am pushing for more information so that Council is in the best possible position to inform and interact with the public," he said.
Cramerding said he does not have a personal opinion on whether Theetge should resign or be fired. Asked about when the public can expect more information, Cramerding said he hopes the situation is resolved as quickly as possible.
Theetge's attorney, Stephen Imm of the Finney Law Firm, has scheduled a press conference Tuesday morning "regarding Chief Theetge's employment with the City of Cincinnati."
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