Chief Bianca Ousted
pogo, 03.04.2006 17:09
Ashland Police Chief Mike Bianca has resigned after rumors of his pending termination surfaced on the council email listserv.
Mike Bianca file photo
Ralph Temple, who has been working on a community policing ordinance for Ashland, posted concerns over the rumored decision. Here is the letter submitted by Ralph Temple to Mayor John Morrison, it is reprinted with permission.
Subject: Mr. Mayor: PLEASE DO NOT ATTEMPT TO OUST MIKE BIANCA
Dear Mayor Morrison:
I vigorously protest and urge you to reconsider your decision to attempt to oust Mike Bianca from his position as Chief of Police.
There are major substantive reasons why such an action is a disservice to this city. But before addressing those issues, I must emphasize that such an action at this time, with no warning or consultation with the community, is a severe deviation from democratic norms.
When the Ashland Police Association demanded on July 10, 2005, that Mike Bianca be removed as Chief, there was an immediate and strong public reaction supporting the Chief. The plaza was filled with scores of demonstrators, and a stream of letters poured in to you, the City Council, and the Ashland Daily Tidings supporting Mike Bianca.
At your urging, on October 4, 2005, the City Council voted to schedule for a first reading a community policing ordinance, proposed by a group of business and professional citizens, to establish Chief Bianca's humanitarian policing policies as those of the city. The Council also called on the city staff to seek community input on the issues raised by the proposed ordinance.
Since that time City Administrator Gino Grimaldi and you have indefinitely postponed scheduling a community forum on the ordinance.
Rather than address the issues raised in the report presented to you and the Council on October 4, 2005, you have taken the following actions:
1. In September 2005, you brought in a consultant to coach the Chief on his "communication" skills.
2. You employed PERF, a consultant, to conduct a thorough review of the police department and to make recommendations of how to improve management.
3. In December 2005 you and Mr. Grimaldi unsuccessfully tried to pressure Chief Bianca into resigning.
4. Now, without providing the community an opportunity for input, you are once more trying to force Mike Bianca out without even waiting for the PERF consultant's report and allowing time for it to be analyzed and, if necessary, implemented.
5. Further, you are taking these actions at the urging of an unelected lame duck City Administrator, and an unelected City Attorney who keeps overreaching his role. And without waiting for the newly selected City Administrator to get settled in to see whether she can do a better job than Gino Grimaldi of supporting a Chief of Police who is far and away the choice of the community.
There has not been any public disclosure of what Mike Bianca's supposed managerial deficiencies consist of. Certainly, the Police Association's July 2005 letter failed to make any kind of a case, as shown in the report presented to the City Council in support of the proposed policing ordinance on Oct 4, 2005. The public does know that, on Chief Bianca's watch, the crime rate has remained low and the number of complaints against the police has gone down.
The root issues here are the community's right to choose the type of policing it wants, and its right to fair play in City government. The events described above leading to your latest effort to push Mike Bianca out of office show an utter disregard of the community.
I call upon you to take a different direction and to support the following actions:
1. On Tuesday night you should support a resolution which I will ask the City Council to adopt suspending any further actions to remove Mike Bianca for a period of time sufficient to digest, analyze, and, if appropriate, implement the PERF report recommendations once they are made public.
2. The Council motion should further specify that the new City Administrator, once she is officially on the job and has familiarized herself with the police department and the PERF Report, shall present the Council with her plan for the department's improvement and the resolution of any internal conflicts.
3. Support Chief Bianca in doing the job he was chosen to do. This requires, in part, that the Mayor, City Administrator and City Attorney stop undermining his authority and handle and resolve any complaints from members of his Department via standard administrative and personnel procedures rather than providing a private back channel around him.
4. Schedule one or more structured community forums, or public hearings, on the state of the police department, the PERF recommendations, and the pending proposed policing ordinance.
5. Provide adequate resources, including funding, to enable the Chief to implement the wishes of the community.
In sum, it is time to fulfill the expectations on which Mike Bianca was chosen as Chief of Police and to stop all efforts to thwart them and him, both from within the Department and within City government.
Sincerely,
Ralph Temple
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CONFIRMED - Chief Bianca RESIGNS 03.04.2006 - 17:22 The Ashland Daily Tidings is reporting that Mike Bianca has resigned amid controversy resulting from 'Letter of No Confidence' issued by the Ashland Police Association. pogo> City Website Has Resignation Announcement 03.04.2006 - 18:58 I'm not sure I would rely on the Ashland Daily Tidings to confirm anything! This is the brief news as found on the city's website...  http://ashland.or.us/News.asp?NewsID=1398
Police Chief Resigns Mayor accepts resignation from Police Chief Mike Bianca "Today, April 3, I met with Chief Mike Bianca and negotiated an agreement for his separation from service with the City of Ashland. I wish Mike the best in all his endeavors and am sure he will continue to contribute to our community. I thank him on behalf of all citizens for his 20 years with the City", said Morrison. "It has been an honor to serve Ashland as Police Chief and now it's time to retire from law enforcement and look for other opportunities and adventures", said Bianca. The Mayor will wait until new City Administrator Martha Bennett is in place to start a search for a new police chief. Bianca's resignation is effective June 30. WHAT REALLY HAPPENED???> Bianca says it's time to retire from law enforcement. 03.04.2006 - 20:31 I have received a flurry of e-mails this evening asking to meet at the plaza and to call city councilors, as though this could be reversed, but the man's quoted words say it's over. "It has been an honor to serve Ashland as Police Chief and now it's time to retire from law enforcement and look for other opportunities and adventures", said Bianca. adminteer> correction... 03.04.2006 - 21:42 It is not yet confirmed why the Chief is quitting. It looks like Bianca is out however the reasons behind the decision are only speculation. I am hopefull all sides will have a fair opportunity to address the issue any respond to concerns. pogo> PRIOR ROGUE INDY STORIES ABOUT BIANCA 03.04.2006 - 22:23 Mike Bianca can be found in the following Rogue IMC stories: "Critical Mass m30" Rogue IMC Volunteer, 01.06.2003 15:40 http://rogueimc.org/en/2003/06/788.shtml
"Critical Mass, May 30th" Shelley Elkovich, 03.06.2003 02:48 http://rogueimc.org/en/2003/06/803.shtml
"Community input on new Ashland police chief" Cate Hartzell , 26.06.2003 11:25 http://rogueimc.org/en/2003/06/913.shtml
"Meet APD Chief Finalists" City of Ashland, 04.11.2003 02:02 http://rogueimc.org/en/2003/11/1749.shtml
"Citizen Action - APD Selection" Paul Copeland, 11.11.2003 22:27 http://rogueimc.org/en/2003/11/1782.shtml
"huge- diverse turnout for Chief Bianca" Ashland, Oregorogue indy reporter , 13.07.2005 21:37 http://rogueimc.org/en/2005/07/4988.shtml
"Ashland's New Community Policing Ordinance" bob, 04.10.2005 14:35 http://rogueimc.org/en/2005/10/5395.shtml
"Ashland has Community Forum on POLICING - 1/11/06" Community Policing For Our Town, 07.01.2006 10:35 http://rogueimc.org/en/2006/01/5824.shtml
FROM THE ARCHIVE> The Plot Sickens - Posted on ACA 03.04.2006 - 22:32 From:  pam@nv.net
Subject: [ashland-community-action] The Plot Sickens Date: April 3, 2006 10:21:22 PM PDT To: ashland-community-action@lists.riseup.net
Folks, Don't believe everything you read in the papers or see posted on the city website. http://dailytidings.com/2006/April%202006/0403/040306BIANCA.php
It seems that Mike has not yet resigned (though one could hardly blame him)! While I do not wish to prolong agony for Mike or anyone else, and want to support him in whatever decision he makes, I do feel the community deserves an explanation, and that democracy is best served by transparancy in government. False statements made to deter people from expressing outcry need to be exposed (if that is the case, and, to me it appears possible if not likely). Like many of you (I am assuming), I grow weary of rallies and urgent calls to action. But, tomorrow night's Council meeting is an opportunity to question authority. Please consider attending or expressing your views in some way. Note that the Tidings article online permits comments. Yours, Pam Take action for Ashland and spread the word! Forward this Ashland Community Action announcement to a friend. Pam Vavra> Progressive missteps 04.04.2006 - 00:44 This has been a long series of bungled poltical missteps that created more issues for Bianca with ill timed lobbying for a toothless Community Policing ordinance and a final push to hasten the resignation with a letter to the council. instigator> Fortunate There's Indymedia in Ashland 04.04.2006 - 13:44 Please note that a declaration of Independent Media Week (April 16-22)is early on the agenda for tonight's Council Meeting.This Bianca story is a perfect example of the need for indymedia, though it's not clear that all city officials will think so. skeptical> Get rid of the tasers 04.04.2006 - 14:36 I hope the next police chief takes tasers out of the arsenal. Our community has already suffered one needless death. Tasers are too drastic of an option for the level of crime in this community. William Grizzle> Good Point on Tasers, Lets Nix Them NOW! 04.04.2006 - 15:31 There is a brand new study posted on Amnesty International's Website on March 28th which calls to question the use and particularly the abuse of tasers. We now have over 150 confirmed taser deaths and its time to take a closer look at these so called non-lethal weapons... Here is the report found at Amnesty International: International Trade in Arms and Military Training USA - Amnesty International's continuing concerns about taser use http://www.amnestyusa.org/arms_trade/document.do?id=ENGAMR510302006
NO TASERS FOR THE ASHLAND POLICE!!! Amnesty International> |