BY CINDY SCHROEDER
The Cincinnati Enquirer
FORT WRIGHT -- Those who know Fort Wright's new interim mayor say they expect Paul Hiltz to be a calming influence in a city that recently has dealt with turmoil.
"He has a very calming nature about him," said Council member Jeffrey Wolnitzek, who also praised Mr. Hiltz's intelligence, compassion and ability to process information and make smart decisions. "He can take a very hostile situation and defuse it."
As one of his first acts as mayor, Mr. Hiltz met Friday morning with city employees to express Fort Wright Council's support for them.
The meeting came just two weeks after Police Chief Mark Brown was suspended on administrative charges and 11 days after five-year Mayor Cindy Pinto resigned.
"We have one employee who's on suspension, and that's unfortunate," Mr. Hiltz said. "But there are other good employees who continue doing a good job. I just wanted to give the employees a chance to talk, and let them know that city council is behind them, and that we appreciate the good job they're doing."
"His message seemed to be, "We are going to get through this, and we will get through this together,' " said City Clerk Jody Anderson. "He wanted to let us know that he was available just to talk, if we wanted to complain, or whatever. It was comforting, from an employee's point of view."
Last week, Mr. Hiltz, the director of physician services for Mercy Health Partners, was council's unanimous choice to finish Mrs. Pinto's term, which ends Dec. 31. He said he will decide in about a month whether to seek the $3,000-a-year job on a permanent basis. "He's in a field where change is constant, and some very tough decisions have to be made," said Fort Wright Administrator Marc Bergman. "I think he's going to find being a mayor very interesting." The 39-year-old Erlanger native moved to Fort Wright about eight years ago, and he was elected to city council a year later. He and his wife, Kristen, have three children ages 3, 10 and 14, with a fourth due in August.
As a father and someone who's interested in his community, Mr. Hiltz said he tries to interest young people in the political process by talking to school groups every chance he gets.
"One of my goals is to get more people running for office by showing them that public service is important, fun and a rewarding thing to do," Mr. Hiltz said. "I think the more people we can get interested in the political process, the better off we'll be."
For the immediate future, however, Mr. Hiltz said he will focus on resolving the charges against Chief Brown. The chief is accused of inefficiency, abusive or obscene language, immoral or improper conduct, and discourtesy to the public or fellow employees.
Mrs. Pinto had scheduled a disciplinary hearing to get council's input, even though it is not required in a Kentucky city with a mayor-council form of government.
While the original disciplinary hearing was canceled after Mrs. Pinto's sudden resignation, Mr. Hiltz said he will schedule another one as soon as possible, if the chief requests a hearing. "I think it's important to hear all sides of an issue," he said. "But having said that, I'd like to resolve this issue as quickly as possible."
Sgt. Dan Kreinest, who's been running Fort Wright's police department since mid-May, when the chief was placed on paid leave, agreed that the situation needs to be resolved.
"It's never comfortable to be the subject of so much media attention," Sgt. Kreinest said. "The whole thing's been a little unpleasant. But it's always good to have somebody come in and say, "Things are going to be all right.' "
