David City Police Chief Steve Sunday resigns
Thursday, November 19, 2009 - 1:00 pm
By Larry Peirce
Banner-Press Editor
Updated 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20Police Chief Steve Sunday tendered his resignation during an executive session Wednesday night at the City Council meeting.
After the meeting, City Administrator Joe Johnson said the public should be re-assured that local police protection would not be interrupted.
"We guarantee the people of this community police protection, and we will provide it," Johnson said. "The City Council did accept Police Chief Sunday's resignation with regret."
Johnson and Mayor Dana Trowbridge spoke about the chief's resignation after the meeting.
Trowbridge said that the local patrols would be covered by the three remaining full-time officers and with part-time officers who have been helping the department through a period with two full-time vacancies.
The City Council held two executive sessions at the end of its Wednesday night meeting. The longest session involved Park Supervisor Bill Buntgen. Several citizens speaking in support of Buntgen had revealed during the meeting that Buntgen had been suspended last week.
No announcement of any action regarding Buntgen was made after the executive session ended.
The second session, lasting only about five minutes, ended with Sunday submitting a written letter of resignation.
Trowbridge confirmed that Sunday resigned.
"I did not ask for his resignation nor did I threaten him with termination," Trowbridge said, adding that he told Sunday that he was "strongly considering" not re-appointing the chief in December.
The written resignation stated that the resignation would be effective in 30 days from its submission. However, Johnson said that Sunday verbally made the resignation effective immediately and that Sunday would not be on the job Thursday.
Other than those comments, Johnson said he could not elaborate further regarding Sunday's employment with the city or any discussion held in executive session.
"We do that to protect the employee. The employee has a lot of personnel records that are private. It's for the sake of the employee," Johnson said. Trowbridge added that the city also must avoid violating any employee privacy laws to avoid any legal action by an employee or former employee.
During the meeting, allegations were made by Steve Gaston, organizer of the recent failed effort to recall Trowbridge, that the mayor would be retaliating against city employees who had connections to the recall.
Sunday was at risk because his wife, Pat, signed the recall petition, Gaston said in an interview after the meeting. The recall petition ended in October when a district judge threw out four pages of the petition, and the petition fell below the required number of signatures.
"We had nothing to do with Pat," Trowbridge said.
"It's sad that people draw that conclusion," Johnson said.
Gaston also claimed that Sunday might be fired because the City Council intends to dissolve the police department.
To date, the police department has been included in a proposed design for a City Hall/Police Station. Last summer, the city sold the police station at 475 Third Street to Henningsen Foods.
Sunday was part of the building committee that worked on a recommendation for a new city building. The City Council approved an architectural firm for the building's final plan on Wednesday night.
Any claim that the police department is dissolving is not true, said Trowbridge.
"Go buy the World-Herald on Sunday and look at the professional section," he said, referring to the city's launch of a search for a new police chief.
Trowbridge said the city also is in the process of filling a full-time officer to fill a spot left vacant by the retirement of longtime officer Jim Sylvester
Sylvester remains available as one of the part-time officers.
