Newtown mayor responds to lawsuit filed by Police Chief Tom Synan
The Newtown mayor released a statement Monday saying he has no vendetta against Police Chief Tom Synan, who filed a lawsuit against the village and the mayor earlier this month.
Mayor Mark Kobasuk said the allegations in the lawsuit are inflammatory and meant to outrage citizens, but the battle it described "simply does not exist."
In the lawsuit, filed March 8, Synan describes a years-long effort by Kobasuk that included "relentless harassment, bullying, retaliation and defamation" for the chief's refusal to permit conduct he believed was illegal and reported to the village council.
Synan accuses Kobasuk of using stricter time card reporting in an attempt to trap an employee, which Synan pushed back against. The chief also said Kobasuk put him on a disciplinary plan. The action plan included barring Synan, a nationally renowned figure in the fight against the opioid crisis, from participating in any activities that would take him from his normal duties.
Synan said he learned through a law enforcement contact that the mayor was having him investigated, another effort to force him from office. The lawsuit said the chief came away from a February meeting with Kobasuk believing his firing to be imminent.
In his new, lengthy statement, provided after The Enquirer sought additional comment Friday, Kobasuk said he respects Synan's work and has never told him to limit his work with the Hamilton County Addiction Response Coalition – despite the police chief's assertion that the mayor has questioned that work. The mayor said he has allowed Synan to speak at events outside the county and the state during his working hours and use a village police car to attend those events.
Kobasuk said several things the chief has done have been brought to his attention and he addressed each case with Synan. He listed that Synan used an unmarked car for traffic stops and his work with Hamilton County's SWAT team took him away from the village when the police department was short-staffed, for example.
"I was shocked to learn Chief Synan chose to file a lawsuit without first trying to work through his issue," Kobasuk said.
The mayor said despite this lawsuit, he will continue to work with Synan to make sure village residents are getting the services they deserve.
The lawsuit has been filed in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court. The first hearing in the case is scheduled for May 21.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Newtown mayor responds to lawsuit filed by Police Chief Tom Synan
