MOUNT VERNON – The Mount Vernon City Council adopted a resolution of no confidence in Safety Service Director Rick Dzik on a 5-1 vote during its July 12 meeting.
Only Councilmember Julia Warga voted against the resolution, saying Dzik has been punished and publicly apologized, which her constituents accepted.
Dzik had been suspended for two weeks without pay after changing the council voting order when the College Township fire and EMS contract and the community advocate position for the Police Department were on the agenda on May 10.
Councilmember Janice Seavolt said everyone who discussed the issue with her said trust has been broken.
“I have to vote what my constituents want me to vote. I represent them,” Seavolt said.
Warga said she did not intend to punish someone who has been punished already.
“So I'm asking my fellow councilors, for the good of the community, [to] look to your values for compassion and forgiveness. And let's get back to the work we were elected to do,” she said.
Councilmember Mike Hillier said that while he respects what Warga had to say, the punishment against Dzik was not enough.
“This has gone on way too long,” Hillier said.
He said not a single person calling him asked him to drop the issue and added the apology was not enough.
Councilmembers Tammy Woods, John Francis, Samantha Scoles, Hillier and Seavolt voted for the no-confidence resolution. Warga voted against. Amber Keener, who was appointed to the council after Dzik’s suspension, was absent.
Mayor Matt Starr, who has hiring, disciplinary and firing authority over the safety service director, said he and Dzik have moved on from the issue.
Heavy traffic on residential streets draws resident’s ire
Tom Cassell of Miller Avenue asked how the city would fix traffic problems created by the State Route 13 construction project.
The Ohio Department of Transportation planned closure of southbound SR 13 between James and Franklin streets beginning July 6 with an estimated end date of Oct. 15, the ODOT Knox County construction update web page said. The northbound lane remains open to traffic.
ODOT's detour for southbound traffic is westbound on SR 95 to southbound on SR 314 to eastbound on SR 229.
“Sorry, 'it'll be done in five months' is not the correct answer,” Cassell said during public comment.
He said residents are waiting on an answer.
“Obviously, this was not well thought out what to do with the out-of-town traffic that ignores the detour signs or the sheer volume of local traffic trying to move through the city on residential streets,” he said.
The construction has put a high volume of heavy traffic, with semitrailers, a concrete mixer and a 45-foot motorhome with a three-axle car trailer on it moving through residential streets, Cassell said.
“Who's going to foot the bill for repairs to these residential streets? Because they're going to be damaged by the amount of traffic that's on them right now,” he said.
Cassell said since he couldn’t get a well-thought-out answer at the council meeting, residents will expect their city government to have a comprehensive plan to address the traffic issues at the next council meeting on July 26.
At the end of the meeting, Dzik said the city had been in discussions with law enforcement and has asked the Ohio Department of Transportation to hire some off-duty officers to help with traffic. Some signage had been moved, but Dzik indicated it was still inadequate.
“I counted no less than a dozen detour signs, flashing signs stating Route 13 router was closed,” he said.
City wants to hire big city officers ready to move
Council told the city administration, including Dzik and Police Department Capt. Scott McKnight, to move forward on a plan to enable the Police and Fire departments to hire experienced police officers and firefighters for entry-level positions with slightly higher pay. The new hires still would start at entry level in seniority.
McKnight said the training these officers have helps offset the higher pay as that training could cost the city $5,000.
Auditor Terry Scott said officers in metropolitan areas like Columbus and Mansfield may look to leave those cities.
“I've already had a couple of phone calls from people who are working in really big cities. They want to get away from that big city,” Tony Deiuliis, the city’s Civil Service administrator, said.
The proposal will go before the Civil Service Commission.
