Hearing set for chief

Grants for police are basis of dispute

Methuen is weighing disciplinary action against Police Chief Joseph Solomon for alleged mismanagement and misapplication of federal grant funds. (the boston globe/file 2006)

Nearly five months after being suspended from his job, Methuen's police chief will finally face a hearing on accusations of misconduct.

The civil service hearing for Police Chief Joseph Solomon is scheduled to begin Feb. 19 and could ultimately prompt Mayor William M. Manzi to cut off Solomon's pay or even fire him. The chief has been suspended from his job with pay since September amid a federal investigation into the use of federal grants.

The hearing marks a moment the city has awaited for months. It could offer resolution to the long-running dispute. Or it could be the start of more legal wrangling for the city.

Though city officials will not specify the topics to be covered in the hearing, the controversy stems largely from an investigation of more than two years into how the Police Department handled federal funds. Neither Solomon nor anyone in his department has been criminally charged in the case.

Still, federal officials have told the city that it misused money and needs to pay back about $170,000 of a $1 million US Justice Department "Weed and Seed" grant disbursed from 2000 to 2005. Federal officials have said the Police Department failed to prove that its employees actually worked extra hours before receiving grant-funded overtime pay.

The investigation has become a headache for the mayor's office. The city is expected to pay back the money, and has paid Solomon more than $48,000 since his suspension began. That does not include the additional salary the city has paid to a captain to serve as interim chief in the meantime, nor its legal fees.The city has been dealing since late 2006 with federal inquiries into Police Department spending. Last March, Solomon faced a civil service hearing stemming from an other grant of Homeland Security money. The Justice Department told the city to return nearly $30,000 because it said the money should have been spent on overtime served by patrol officers, not ranking officers.

In that case, Manzi accepted the recommendation stemming from the hearing and suspended the chief for three days without pay.

Solomon, however, appealed that decision to the state Civil Service Commission. Although the appeal was to be heard this Thursday, according to City Solicitor Peter J. McQuillan, it has been put on hold until this latest civil service hearing can be resolved.

The new hearing covers the broader Weed and Seed grants, McQuillan said, and other accusations of misconduct. However, he would not release the specific charges outlined for the hearing, saying it was a personnel issue.

Manzi said he called for the hearing to look into disciplinary action against Solomon for mismanagement and misapplication of federal grant funds. "As chief of police, Joseph Solomon is ultimately responsible for the proper administration and implementation of public safety grants and the lawful, effective administration and performance of the Police Department as a whole," Manzi wrote in a statement.

Attorneys who have represented Solomon did not return calls for comment.

It is not clear if the public can attend the hearing. Solomon can choose to open it to the public or keep it closed because it is a personnel issue, protected from public meeting laws.

Testimony could take more than one day. Then the mayor could take up to a week to take action on the recommendation of the hearing officer.

Last Monday, the City Council took a stand on the issue, unanimously passing a resolution to ask the city solicitor to determine whether the city can recoup the federal overtime money from the employees who received it.

Kytja Weir can be reached at kytja.weir@gmail.com.