THE JOURNAL & TOPICS NEWSPAPERS | WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16, 2008
Fate Of Suspended Firefighter Still In Question
By RICHARD MAYER
Journal Reporter
Prospect Hts. Fire Captain Paul Elsner, currently suspended without pay, will learn what his future with the fire district holds in two weeks, according to Chris Shepherd, Elsner's attorney.
At a penalty hearing Monday behind closed doors, Shepherd subpoenaed Fire Chief Donald Gould and had him testify that he was aware of Elsner's issues with the City of Prospect Hts. prior to employing Elsner full-time with the fire district.
According to Shepherd, Gould admitted under oath that he was aware that Elsner was fired from the City of Prospect Hts. but he wasn't aware of the details as to why he was fired.
However, according to a mid-February article in the Journal regarding Elsner's previous employment, Gould was quoted as saying, "The first time I heard about this was at the recent hearing," referring to this past January's fire district board meeting. Elsner was allegedly fired from the City of Prospect Hts. Public Works Dept. in 1999 for violating the city's sexual harassment policy.
Not long after Elsner left Public Works, he was hired as a full-time firefighter with the Prospect Hts. Fire Dist. He had served with the department in a part-time capacity for many years prior to that time.
Shepherd also said Gould testified Monday that former Mayor Ed Rotchford told Gould to fire Elsner but Gould didn't do anything regarding the issue with Elsner.
However, in the same mid-February article in the Journal, Gould said he was unaware that Elsner had been terminated from his city job until just recently (January).
Gould was also cited as saying a background check was conducted on Elsner prior to his full-time employment with the Fire District, but he said he never received any information from the City of Prospect Hts. for the sexual harassment charge.
"I was very surprised when I learned of this information," said Gould in February.
The Board of Commissioners of the Prospect Hts. Fire Protection District ruled last month that Elsner falsified or supplied incorrect information on his fire district application.
Board members believe Elsner made a false statement on his application for employment with the Fire District in 1999. However, at a Jan. 14 hearing, a letter dated Jan. 10, 2000 said that Elsner and the city had agreed that he would be able to resign from his Public Works job instead of being terminated.
After recent testimony from City Administrator Pam Arrigoni, the board ruled that the contents of the letter were not considered as substantive evidence, because the letter was not in Elsner's personnel file. However, Margaret Angelucci, Elsner's former attorney, testified Monday that the letter was authentic and she had an oral agreement with the City of Prospect Hts. that he could resign.
Shepherd said the board is expected to mail him a letter regarding the decision within the next two weeks.
"This isn't worth termination," Shepherd said.
Numerous attempts by the Journal to reach Gould for comment were unsuccessful.