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CHESTERLAND CHESTERLAND EWS NN EWS Wednesday, September 29, 2021
Volume 53, No. 10
Your Community Newspaper Since 1967
Your Community NewspaperChester Since 1967 Township
Trustees Place Fire Chief on Leave
Union President Blames Management for Staffing Level, Turnover By John Karlovec editor@geaugamapleleaf.com Chester Township Trustees have placed longtime Fire Chief John Wargelin on paid temporary administrative leave, an action they claim is not punitive. At the same time, trustees have retained the services of Clemans Nelson & Associates, a human resource management and consulting firm that offers expertise in human resource management, and which provides an independent, objective perspective to local governments, according to a Sept. 14 township press release. The firm is being paid an annual retainer of $175 per month and is charging professional fees ranging from $90-$150 per hour. For the month of July, trustees approved at their Sept. 8 meet-
ing a payment to Clemans Nelson of the township fire department from the township generhas violated any statual fund of nearly $7,400. tory provisions of the At an Aug. 30 special Ohio Revised Code that meeting, they also hired governs the fire departWilliam J. Shaw, who rement.” tired in 2020 after comTrustees said the pleting 36 years in the appointment was made fire service, as interim in accordance with their acting fire chief. Shaw Wargelin fiduciary obligation to previously served as chief of the residents and was made after Willoughby Hills and Solon fire consultation with legal counsel. departments. He is being paid “In order to assure a com$55 per hour. plete and thorough investigation “Clements (sic) Nelson was without any influence from the asked to perform an independent review and analysis of the current fire department administownship’s fire department,” the tration, the fire chief was placed release said. “Based upon the on temporary administrative firm’s preliminary review and leave with pay,” trustees said. findings, the trustees appointed “He (Wargelin) remains available an employee of the firm as an in- to address any of the needs, isdependent investigator to deter- sues or concerns of the board of mine whether or not any member See Chief • Page 5
ATV Riders to be Sentenced Sept. 29 By Ann Wishart ann@geaugamapleleaf.com
Two young men are scheduled to be sentenced for criminal mischief and criminal trespass Sept. 29 for causing damage while driving their ATVs across private property in Chester Township. Rory Nolan, 20, of Mayfield Heights, Michael Harden, 20, of Highland Heights, and a male who was 17 when charges were filed are expected to be sentenced to pay for damage to the yards of Larry Komidar and his neighbor. The three may have to cover more than $2,000 in property
repairs, as well as court costs for the adults of more than $300 each, according to Chardon Municipal Court records. The young men were apprehended in March by Chester Township police working with Komidar. When he saw five individuals on ATVs on his property and on the Cleveland Electric Illuminating power line easements behind his home on Camelot Lane, Komidar called in law enforcement. It wasn’t the first time he made a call, but this time, he and police found the offenders’ trucks parked near Mayfield Road and cited three of the five.
Komidar, a former Cleveland police officer, has been trying to discourage the use of his yard and that of his neighbor for over a year. “No Trespassing” signs and fences didn’t dissuade the vandals who tore through his property and threatened him when he approached them. They also damaged his neighbor’s yard and drove recklessly across Camelot Lane, he said during an interview in November 2020. Although four-wheelers have used the CEI easement for years, Komidar said the traffic has ramped up recently and more riders have See Riders • Page 6
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