Orange Township administrator suspended
“I’m not going to give a reason right now. Before we make contractual decisions we need to get lawyers to assist us.” Ben Grumbles Board chairman who voted for the suspension
The Orange Township trustees voted 2-1 Monday night to suspend the township administrator, a 43-year-old former assistant prosecutor who previously had given legal advice to officials there and at other Delaware County entities.
No reason was given for the suspension of Andrew King, who was appointed a year ago. He had been given a 3month raise in July and good evaluations, officials in the township had said.
“I'm not going to give a reason right now,” board chairman Ben Grumbles, who voted for the suspension, said after the meeting. “Before we make contractual decisions we need to get lawyers to assist us.”
During the same meeting, Grumbles was accused by fellow trustee Ryan Rivers of bullying behavior, micromanagement and presiding over “rambling” meetings that have gone on for hours.
King said it remains unclear to him what he did wrong. When the administrator was hired, Grumbles told Thisweek Community News that King was “highly recommended.”
Administrators work at the direction of trustees and act as chief executives in government, directing departments including roads, parks, and overall administration. The salary for King, who was legal advisor to the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy prior to becoming an assistant prosecutor, is $115,000 annually.
Trustee Debbie Taranto, who supported the suspension, will become acting administrator until a replacement is found.
Rivers, who opposed the suspension and is in the last year of his four-year term, accused Grumbles of a variety of missteps during the meeting. He said that the township's human resources consultant had described to him “extreme dissatisfaction” by township staff with the management style of Grumbles, a trustee for about 18 months, and that two employees are ready to resign because of it.
“She said that we have an HR crisis,” Rivers said at the start of what would become a two-hour special trustees meeting to discuss organization.
Rivers said that the situation has become untenable, just as big issues such as opening the North Orange Park Aquatic Center and creating a community garden should be priorities.
The township of about 27,000 has its own fire department and a history in recent years of political rancor that has resulted in lawsuits and top leadership leaving in frustration.
Rivers said he has been “steamrolled” by his fellow trustees, whom he said disregarded his emergency scheduling conflict before the meeting, which included a 40-minute closed executive session to discuss personnel matters.
“Now I am on a township call while I am waiting for an immediate family member to come out of surgery,” he said at the meeting. “I don't have the words for the lack of respect and decency given to a fellow board member by Trustee Grumbles.”
Grumbles said he had no idea that one of River's parents was having open-heart surgery Monday evening and that Rivers and his family were awaiting an update. He said he gave Rivers options for the meeting last week and hadn't heard back.
At one point Rivers said, “I can't sit here on another three-hour call here when I have family to attend to ... you've put me in a terrible position.”
As for his leadership style, Grumbles said after the meeting: “If there are issues with my management style, then bring them to me and I'll address them.”
As a strategic relationship manager for the U.S. Department of Defense, Grumbles said he's accustomed to listening to both sides of a conflict to reach a solution.
He said Rivers, the previous chairman, may be having difficulties adjusting to his new role.
Three-member trustee boards have a natural imbalance that can be hard for the minority vote. In neighboring Liberty Township, which includes the city of Powell, contentious board meetings have been common.
Taranto, who has served as trustee for more than 10 years, has stayed out of the conflicts, often sitting quietly as her colleagues argue.
King told The Dispatch “I really have loved my job.”
“I feel we've made great progress. I've been proud of my work,” he said. “I'm hoping that we can reach a positive resolution.” dnarciso@dispatch.com @Deannarciso