KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — Monday, Kalamazoo City Manager Jim Ritsema spoke on the termination of former Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety (KDPS) Chief Karianne Thomas, which was previously said to be a resignation.
Last September, the city had announced her retirement after serving 27 years with the department. City documents state Thomas was eligible for full retirement as of 2017 and would receive a one-year severance package, per her contract.
It was reported last week that Thomas was actually fired by the City.
The announcement of her retirement in September came after a turbulent summer season, during which Kalamazoo citizens aimed criticism at how KDPS had handled protests in the city. Those criticisms included how KDPS handled Black Lives Matter protests after the death of George Floyd. During that protest, officers deployed tear gas on participants.
In August, further criticism was aimed at officials over a Proud Boys rally that turned violent and had less police presence than the Black Lives Matter protests.
Since then, the city of Kalamazoo has hired an outside California-based firm, OIR Group, to investigate those incidents and conduct a Use-of-Force Study of KDPS.
Thomas had served with KDPS as the Chief since 2017.
During a virtual meeting Monday night, City Manager Ritsema spoke on the matter, explaining why it had previously been said that she had resigned. The conversation began earlier in the meeting when an item was presented for approval, which would allow KDPS Assistant Chief of Investigations David Boysen to enter the Deferred Retirement Option Program (DROP).
According to city documents, KDPS members are eligible to retire with an unreduced pension at any age after 25 years of credited, or age 50 with 10 years of credited service. The program allows those approved to defer their retirement allowance for a specific period of time, as long as that period does not exceed eight years. Documents state that this program allows the city to “retain valuable, skilled employee’s and aid with succession planning.”
“Under a Deferred Retirement Option plan, the employee who is otherwise eligible to retire enters this plan, and essentially defers a retirement benefit or pension benefit for up to eight years, or however long they are still an employee of the city,” Ritsema said. “What that does is that it creates this retirement account, that then, once they do leave the employment of the city, they are in essence retired, and they will then earn their monthly pension benefit and have access to this deferred account.”
In relation to Thomas, Ritsema said that when she entered the DROP, the agreement allowed her to collect the benefit after “separating service from the city.”
“In the case of her leaving the DROP, it is true that she retired, just by virtue of what she left and what she went into, being retirement,” Ritsema said.
That discussion occurred during the item regarding Boysen entering that program. He then discussed the matter further when it came time for the City Manager’s Report.
Ritsema said Commissioners didn’t know she was actually fired, and provided the following statement to the board:
“I think we can all agree this past year has been a difficult time for our community, including the city government, city commissioners, public safety and myself. Following the protests during the summer, I believed Chief Thomas’ ability to lead had been compromised, and it was in her and the city’s best interest to part ways. Chief Thomas did nothing to justify a for-cause termination of her contract, so her separation had to be termination without cause. As such, her employment agreement under this provision required 12 months severance pay. This is the standard for at-will employees who are being let go without cause. Her employment agreement was executed in 2017, when I appointed her as Chief.
When my team and I developed the message regarding Chief Thomas’ departure, our and my goal was not to harm Chief Thomas’ reputation. Her departure was not a punishment. I also wanted to ensure a smooth transition for the new chief, Vernon Coakley. While factually correct, the press release and my discussions with Commissioners did not mention the termination of the employment agreement. I take full responsibility for this, and offer my apology. The omission of this information was not done intentionally.
Again, I accept full responsibility for this communication error. There was no intent to deceive or withhold information, this was a difficult and complicated personnel issue that I had to handle. The Commission had no part in this decision, and while including this information would not have changed the result, it is clear to me that my failure to include this information has created a difficult situation for the Commission.
I want to apologize to the community. This situation has created confusion and questions regarding Chief Thomas’ departure. I will strive for more clarity in my communications going forward. Trust is a key ingredient of a healthy City Commission and City Manager relationship. If any of you on the Commission, or in the community, feel I violated this trust, I apologize.
Again, I had no intentions of covering up anything, but I did fail at communicating clearly my intentions. I acknowledge that is my responsibility as your City Manager to have provided more clear and complete information. You have my assurance that I will live up to this responsibility.”
Following this statement from Ritsema, Commissioner Jack Urban introduced a new motion to the board, which was essentially a formal acceptance of Ritsema’s statement. That motion also included the stipulation that the board must be better informed on matters such as these.
During a discussion for that motion, Vice Mayor Patrese Griffin said that while she appreciated the motion, she would not be supporting it. That motion was eventually passed in a 5-2 vote, with Vice Mayor Griffin and Commissioner Erin Knott voting against it.
Commissioners such as Eric Cunningham confirmed that they did not know Thomas had been terminated, rather than resigning.
“I think the reality is that we as a City Administration have been continuously struggling with trust within the community, and that is one of the most important things that we need to cherish as a City Commission,” Cunningham said. “I can honestly say that I had no idea that there was a termination of contract. To my knowledge, my only understanding is that she retired, and to my understanding, maybe this is on me where I should have looked deeper into the process, my understanding is she just received a severance for retirement, and I assumed that was contractual, however that may be.”
He went on to say that an admittance for what took place was crucial, but noted that knowing how to respond if it takes place again will be important, citing community trust as a factor.
Commissioner Erin Knott and Vice Mayor Patrese Griffin stated that they were disappointed in the decision, with Griffin stating that she is concerned with community trust after this incident.
“I do accept the apology, but that’s not enough moving forward to let me know that we are not going to be in this situation again, because it could have been handled differently in the first place,” Griffin said. “This did not have to happen. Our community is who should have been at the forefront of all of these decisions.”
She added that she will look forward to finding out what the steps are moving forward from this incident.
Residents can view a video recording of the meeting on YouTube at this link.
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