Former Amherst police chief's administrative assistant leaves, blasting city

AMHERST — The administrative assistant to former police Chief Joseph Kucirek has retired, and Tuesday blasted city officials on the way out the door. Keri Celik was hired as a part-time dispatcher in August 2000 under former Chief Lonnie Dillon. She gave two weeks' notice Oct. 8, but Tuesday said she would not finish out the week. "The unwarranted attacks on the chief's character have made this situation untenable for me," Celik wrote. "I feel that the city reached a conclusion prior to the latest investigation and then looked for evidence to support such conclusion." Kucirek chose to retire Oct. 11, during a long investigation into low morale at the Amherst Police Department. In his resignation letter, he accused Mayor Mark Costilow of forcing him out of the job. A 19-page report by Amherst Safety Service Director John Jeffreys, with 83 pages of supporting documents, recounted ongoing issues of alleged insubordination. It said Kucirek ignored orders from City Hall, didn't cooperate well with other co-workers, violated standards of conduct and potentially broke state or federal labor laws. Celik, in a written statement to police Lt. Mark Cawthon, Costilow and the media, took issue with the contents of the report and said the intent from the start was to get rid of Kucirek. She alleged that some people made appointments with Costilow or Jeffreys to refute allegations against the chief, but those same people "indicated the city was uninterested in anything that would contradict their desired outcome." City officials never sought to interview her as part of its 11-week investigation into the inner workings of the station, Celik said. She also painted complaints against Kucirek as a plot by workers who "stand to gain by the chief's premature retirement." She said Kucirek is not perfect and she disagreed with him at times, but that the Police Department was well run under his leadership. As Costilow became more involved, it undermined the chief's authority, she said. Celik also wrote about being present at a July 21 meeting where consultant Cindy LeBrun gave the results of an assessment of the climate at the North Lake Street station. "I felt that she presented this as a factual document without the caveat that the chief was never given an opportunity to provide context or clarity into any of the allegations, furthering my belief that his removal was a predetermined outcome," Celik said. In a follow-up email, she clarified she decided to retire "a lot earlier than I intended, but it was due to this situation." Costilow chose to say little in response to Celik's departure from city employment. "I stand by our report," he said. "I disagree with all her allegations, and I really, truly wish her the best of luck in retirement." His attention is now on choosing the next chief of police. The Civil Service Commission meets today to lay the groundwork for that process. Costilow said he would like to hire the Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police to conduct interviews of Cawthon and Dan Makruski, the two lieutenants eligible to step into the position. He said that process would probably not involve a written test but daylong interviews conducted by people who have experience as chiefs of police. Costilow and Jeffreys will also have input into the decision. "We'll talk about the need to have a different style of management," Costilow said, and urge the need for a chief who can "be more motivational" to officers and dispatchers. He hopes to choose a chief by the end of the calendar year. Contact Jason Hawk at (440) 329-7122 or news@lcnewspapers.com.