Published: November 05, 2009 02:12 pm      

OUR OPINION: Jeffersonville City Council’s decision on Moorer disappointing

About a month ago in this space, The Evening News published an editorial urging those with decision-making power to retain their original choices for the Jeffersonville Police Merit Commission.

The paper got a response Monday night, when four members of the City Council — Keith Fetz, Connie Sellers, Mike Smith and Ed Zastawny — voted to replace Conrad Moorer on the commission, before the local pastor had a chance to weigh in on hiring, firing, promoting or demoting officers, which is what the board will do starting early next year.

The board actually was formed early this year, but the city’s administration questioned its validity because it said the board’s members did not establish rules in a time period required by Indiana Code.

During squabbling the past few months regarding the board’s validity, no one has questioned Moorer’s integrity or intelligence — either on or off the record — to this paper. He seems to be a well-regarded member of the community. He was the long-time police department chaplain.

The council members thought enough of Moorer to appoint him in the first place and he hasn’t had the opportunity to be part of any official action on the commission, so why remove him?

We went back through stories published in The Evening News and couldn’t find any negative comments made by Moorer. He was, however, assertive in comments about his belief the board was valid last year.

Fetz summed up his vote in an article published in Tuesday’s paper.

“I feel like the police [commission] had the most dysfunction” when compared to the fire commission, which also is newly formed.

It’s possible that the council members who voted to remove Moorer in favor of Clay Smith feel Moorer and the other police merit commissioners failed when the board wasn’t established in 2009. If that’s the case, those words haven’t been spoken to reporters of this newspaper.

So, it’s unclear exactly why Moorer was removed.

Council members Ron Grooms, Nathan Samuel and Barbara Wilson thought he deserved a second — really, a first — chance and voted to retain him.

Our vote would have been cast on the side of that council trio.

— The Evening News editorial board is comprised of Publisher Jim Grahn, Inside Sales Manager Joann Galligan and Editor Shea Van Hoy. Responses can be e-mailed to shea.vanhoy@newsandtribune.com