Westlake fire chief suspended, demoted
By Kevin Kelley
Westlake
Web Updated 6 PM Nov. 2, 2007

Richard Pietrick

BREAKING NEWS — Westlake Fire Chief Richard Pietrick has been suspended without pay for 30 days and demoted to the position of firefighter, Mayor Dennis Clough announced Friday.

The suspension and demotion follow a finding by outside legal counsel that the fire chief asked city employees to make mechanical repairs to vehicles owned by Pietrick or members of his family, the mayor said in a statement.

"This just can't be an accepted practice to do that," Clough told West Life.

Pietrick has three business days to appeal the disciplinary action to the mayor and then 10 days to appeal to the city’s civil service commission. Clough said that he has not yet heard from Pietrick as to whether or not he has accepted the suspension and demotion. Pietrick is eligible to retire, the mayor said.

As of Friday afternoon, neither Pietrick nor his attorney could not be reached for comment.

Gary Johnson, the attorney hired by the city to review the allegations, told West Life that Pietrick acknowledged having the city-employed mechanic work on his vehicles.

"It's not an issue of him saying he didn't do it," Johnson said.

Johnson also said Pietrick asked that work be done on his vehicles on several occasions over several years.

"It's not one incident," Johnson said. "It's been a recurring situation."

Johnson said he did not think charges will be filed against Pietrick and that the situation was best handled administratively.

"It's in Pietrick's court right now," he said.

The complaint was filed on June 6 by Westlake Firefighters Association Local 1814. Pietrick has been on paid administrative leave since June 14. Assistant Fire Chief Richard Janicek has been in charge of the department since then.

Apparent discord between Pietrick and the department's rank and file came to light in an audit made public in December 2005. The audit found “significant dysfunction” within the department and poor communication coming from the department’s leadership.

Illinois-based McGrath Consulting Group, Inc. was hired by the city to conduct a comprehensive independent audit of fire department operations, management structure, and staffing and facility needs.

However, the report was critical of Pietrick’s ability to communicate a clear vision to his employees. “Communication is a huge problem and not one of the fire chief’s best attributes,” the report stated.

The report found that poor or bad behavior is often not addressed. The fire chief apparently believes that this is the responsibility of the line officers or shift commander, the report said, while shift commander or officers feel that there is no clear direction and question if they will be backed up if disciplinary action is taken. The result, according to the report, is that most individuals work independent of any master plan and feel there will be no consequences for their actions.

The report called Pietrick “a caring individual who is passionate about the fire service.”

“The question is not about his character, but about his leadership style,” the report said.

Previous West Life articles:

• Fire department audit cites ‘dysfunctions’ (Jan. 4, 2006)