BOFPC Minutes - Finally

A Special Meeting of the Woodstock Board of Fire and Police Commissioners (BOFPC) was held today at 5:00PM at the Woodstock Police Department. The purpose was to review and approve the Minutes of nine (9) Special Meetings of the BOFPC which were held from August to February to hear and consider the request of Police Chief Robert Lowen to fire Sgt. Steve Gorski.

Minutes of these NINE Special Meetings were never posted on the City's website.

The Agendas of seven (7) of these Special Meetings were never posted on the City's website.

On June 17 I protested this serious error before the City Council. I informed the City Council that Minutes of Special Meetings are essential to documenting that something official took place and that decisions were made. These meetings represent thousands of dollars of expenses to the City of Woodstock for employee time, executive time, legal services, court reporters and now court costs.

The nine Special Meetings were held:
August 29, 2007
September 17, 2007
October 1, 2007
October 10, 2007
October 11, 2007
November 5, 2007 (According to Minutes, Chief Lowen did not attend this meeting and its closed session from 6:17PM until 8:55PM.)
November 28, 2007
December 5, 2007
February 4, 2007

Initially, the BOFPC approved an unpaid suspension. Three weeks later it changed its order to a paid leave. Two months later (November 28), back to unpaid suspension but WITH medical benefits. Two months and a week later, the Board ruled 3-0 in favor of Sgt. Gorski.

On February 14, the BOFPC issued its Findings and Decision that the charges against Sgt. Gorski were not sustained, and it ordered that Sgt. Gorski be reimbursed for any wages not paid to him (since August 29). "The Chief of the Police Department and other appropriate corporate authorities are directed to implement this order forthwith."

The Board, in its Findings and Decision of February 14, agreed that an unpaid suspension was too severe for what it considered a "minor infraction" of Departmental rules.

At this point the City of Woodstock should have cut a check to Sgt. Gorski for all pay withheld. Did it?

No, it did not.

On March 7, 2008, Police Chief Lowen filed a Complaint in Circuit Court against the Board of Fire and Police Commissioners, the three men on the Board individually and Sgt. Gorski, alleging that the Board made a procedural error in granting a Directed Verdict and that it was erroneous in its decision.

In the meantime, the City of Woodstock is in contempt of the direction of the BOFPC to pay Sgt. Gorski for all missed pay.

How much is all this costing the taxpayers of Woodstock???

Pretty disgusting, isn't it?

© 2008 GUS PHILPOTT