Shawnee Township, OH, Fire Chief Reinstated
The Lima News, Ohio
(TNS)
SHAWNEE TOWNSHIP — After more than seven months, Shawnee Township has a fire chief again.
During Monday’s regular board meeting for the Shawnee Township trustees, Fire Chief Austin Miller was officially reinstated to his position after being suspended from the job since the end of May. The vote came in the shadow of the department’s ladder truck as the board met in the department’s truck bay in a symbolic move to demonstrate a new chapter in the new-look board’s relationship with the fire department and its chief.
“The other reason is that here at the fire station, they have heat,” trustee Paul Neff said, a reference to previous meetings held in an unheated garage for the police department, including the Dec. 15 hearing that had started initially with the intent of terminating Miller from his position only to have all charges of wrongdoing against Miller dismissed by the end of the meeting late that afternoon. The remark drew some chuckles from the crowd in attendance.
Miller had initially been placed on administrative leave May 30 due to what had been described at the time as allegations of misconduct and insubordination. Testimony at the Dec. 15 hearing revealed that the allegations stemmed from what was described as failures to complete different assigned tasks, including the lettering of a department vehicle and posting a memo prohibiting the use of a pickleball court during business hours, as well as perceived dishonesty during the subsequent investigation as well as failure to pursue alleged misconduct by a firefighter who was accused of using a perjorative term at work.
Miller’s attorneys had filed a lawsuit aginst the township and the members of the previous board of trustees in December for being improperly suspended. Even after accusations against Miller were dismissed, the chief remained on leave in late December pending a written agreement between Miller’s attorneys and the board. An amended agreement was approved during Monday’s meeting, with Miller confirming after the meeting the lawsuit will now be dropped.
“I’ll be in the office tomorrow,” he said. “I’m excited to give back to this community. They really showed up, and they spoke up.”
Miller also expressed optimism about working with this new board, with Neff and fellow trustee Kenny Gross replacing former trustees Clark Spieles and Ted Ciminillo. Trustee Joe Recker was on the board last year and remains on the board, with his term running through 2027.
“The new, incoming trustees have been very helpful,” he said. “The communication has been stellar, and we’re excited to move forward together.”
Miller will go back on active duty Tuesday.
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