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City needs to deal with festering issues

By Times editorial
Published January 14, 2007

The dysfunction is dizzying in Brooksville City Hall. The City Council has suspended the police chief, one of his lieutenants and the human resources director amid allegations of retaliation, intimidation and coercion. The city manager has resigned to avoid being fired. And rumors of sexual harassment and consensual relations among city employees are as thick as love bugs in May.

It's enough to exhaust the most accomplished tongue-waggers.

But some of the allegations cannot be dismissed as vicious gossip. If true, crimes have been committed, powers have been abused and there could be grim consequences for the individuals involved, as well as the city government's reputation.

That is why the City Council should stop dragging its feet and enlist the help it needs to undertake a multipronged investigation to resolve this troubling controversy.

The most serious allegations involve police chief Ed Tincher. He is accused by human resources director Ron Baker of misusing his authority to arrest Baker on a trumped-up charge of giving a prescription drug to a city employee. That charge, which later was dropped, was in retaliation for his criticism of Tincher's alleged affair with a secretary in City Hall, Baker says. Baker also contends Tincher is using officers in his department to discredit him.

The sooner the Florida Department of Law Enforcement can begin a thorough investigation into this matter, the better.

In the meantime, the council should accept an offer by Sheriff Richard Nugent to lend the city one of his top officers to oversee the police department while Tincher and Lt. Rick Hankins are on paid suspension. The department needs experienced, objective oversight to ensure that officers are cooperating with the FDLE, and that the council is being kept abreast of any problems at the department. Also, having an outside manager on the scene should ensure that Tincher will not interfere with the FDLE's investigation, or try to run the department by proxy.

In addition, the City Council should take Nugent's advice and hire an independent and neutral person, preferably with law enforcement experience, to conduct an internal affairs investigation to determine if any policies were violated or if any employees were mistreated. That probe, perhaps, should extend to City Hall, where rumors of inappropriate relationships and behavior, as well as purposeful negligence, are rampant.

The council held a special meeting Thursday night and it should have taken more decisive action. The council owes residents, and especially the people who have been implicated, to get to the bottom of this mucky meanness as soon as possible. If necessary, the mayor should convene another meeting this week and not wait until Jan. 22.

As more time passes, public acrimony increases and momentum builds for those who might selfishly use the threat of a recall election next year to settle old political scores, or launch new campaigns.

[Last modified January 13, 2007, 20:31:07]