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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Menu Guide Wedding Weather Subscribe Contact Us July 11, 2005 Bianca Police want Bianca removed Letter addressed to mayor and city council reports no-confidence vote by ‘association’ By Jennifer Squires Ashland Daily Tidings A group of Ashland police officers want Ashland Police Chief Mike Bianca removed from his position, according to a letter directed to the mayor and city council on Sunday. The officers, who identify themselves as the Ashland Police Association, enumerated four specific concerns with Bianca in the six-page letter. “It is the consensus of the Association that Chief Bianca’s leadership ability will never safeguard those in his charge and that there will always be an atmosphere of fear and distrust associated with his administration,” the association letter read. “These, as well as other issues, have resulted in an overwhelming vote of ‘No Confidence’ in Chief Bianca’s abilities to fulfill his position as Chief of Police in the City of Ashland.” Officers in the association say they have proceeded as a group because of fear of retribution. The association represents approximately half of the department and is composed largely of sworn officers, according to Bianca. They are members of a union bargaining unit. The executive board of the association has met with Ashland Mayor John Morrison, City Administrator Gino Grimaldi and City Attorney Mike Franell to discuss issues and determine a course of action to resolve those problems, but feels those efforts have failed because city officials have not publicly acknowledged the problems within the department. “They said that this is not a widespread problem, but it is. We’re well-represented,” said one Ashland Police officer and association member who requested anonymity. “It’s important that we address the issues,” Grimaldi said. “They’re important to the association, so they’re important to us.” Grimaldi confirmed that city officials have met with association members over the past month, but would not comment on the nature of the discussion or if the relationship between the association and the administration had improved. Bianca did not want to comment on the association’s statement. “I haven’t gotten the letter,” said Bianca, who returned to work today following a four-week, health-related leave of absence. Expert help The city will bring in an outside person to identify and implement solutions to complaints brought forth by the association, according to a July 8 letter signed by Morrison, Grimaldi and Bianca. “We will continue to work with you to make sure we have a clear and complete understanding of the issues from the perspective of the association and its members and members of the management,” the city letter read. The association concerns include the handling of critical incidents, minimum staffing, timely filling of vacancies, the leadership of the department, communication and fair and equal treatment of officers. The decision to hire someone to assist the department in resolving its problems is not a direct result of the association’s complaints, according to Bianca, but the association’s perspective played into the decision. “There’s a connection — relationship — to the issues from the association, but there’s other issues as well,” Bianca said, citing teamwork among managers as an additional concern. Association members feel simply dealing with the specific problems they’ve identified will “only serve to address symptoms rather than underlying causes” and do not have confidence in Bianca’s ability to continue as the head of the department. “As an association, we have been asking ourselves this question. ‘Do we have the leadership we need?’” the association letter read. “The answer is resounding, NO!” Staff writer Jennifer Squires can be reached at 482-3456 x 3019 or [email protected]. DailyTidings.com Home Page Archives | Revels | Classifieds | Real Estate Guide | Weather | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2005 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Deep Muscle Stimulator Ceramic Piggy Banks FREE Entertainment Guide Women's & Men's Slippers Accelerate Weightloss Products Backpacks Online Pharmacy Vegas Travel Guide Search Engine Optimization Student Loans Hotel & Airline Reservations Hammocks Water Filter Helzberg Diamonds Online Casinos Community Bonus Casino Mortgage Calculator Security Systems Mailing Lists Click Here Advertisement .:Advertisements:. Site Search: RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams