Perrysburg Township agreed to pay its former deputy police chief $150,000 to settle lawsuits filed after
he was fired in February.
Michael Gilmore, who was hired from the city of Perrysburg in 2013, sued the trustees and the township
for reinstatement or $100,000 in damages plus back pay, alleging that his termination was handled
improperly and done in violation of open meetings laws.
The suits began in Wood County and were eventually transferred to U.S. District Court.
Trustees called a special meeting Friday to approve the settlement, which also stipulates that the
township will provide a neutral recommendation letter to Gilmore’s prospective employers. Trustees
approved the agreement after meeting in closed session with legal counsel for about 15 minutes.
Both sides conducted a mediation hearing this week. At that meeting, each was made aware of the estimated
costs of continuing the case, and those would have exceeded the settlement amount, said Trustee Bob
Mack, chairman of the board.
“The magistrate judge said to us, ‘You guys should be worried about the future of Perrysburg Township and
what you need to do as trustees, and if it costs a little extra to put this aside, you should be willing
to do that,” Mack said.
Gilmore did not return a call seeking comment on the settlement. Mack said Gilmore agreed to the terms
approved by the trustees Friday.
Mack said the township’s insurance company will pay $75,000, or half of the settlement, as well as legal
fees.
“They do this everyday and they know what it costs to carry on with a case,” he said.
Gilmore received a letter Feb. 13 stating that he would be fired that day if he did not resign. Trustees
took no official action until Feb. 18, when they offered the first of what proved to be conflicting
reasons for firing the deputy chief and eliminating the position. They had discussed eliminating the
position a week prior during a closed session, following the failure of a November tax levy attempt for
police funding.
On March 4, the board rescinded the Feb. 18 motions and passed new ones, something Mack said was done on
the advice of legal counsel.
Trustee Gary Britten said Feb. 18 that Gilmore was fired for “performance issues” including morale within
the department and out-of-control overtime. But he insisted March 4 that the move was “purely
financial.”
Asked that night to explain the difference in his statements, Britten said that “morale is an issue, but
that’s not the sole reason,” declining to comment in further detail on the advice of legal counsel.
Gilmore was hired as Perrysburg Township’s deputy chief in 2013 after retiring from the same position
with the city of Perrysburg. The township created the position in order to hire him. He spent 24 years
with Toledo Police prior to his stint with Perrysburg, which started in 2010.