Friday, February 25, 2000
New Human Relations boss doesn't sway council
BY ROBERT ANGLEN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Hours after the Cincinnati Human Relations Commission appointed a new interim director, the City Council voted Thursday not to give the agency any new money and questioned its benefit to the community.
Members said hiring a director was premature and does nothing to assuage concerns raised in a report last month that criticized the city-funded agency as ineffective.
But Cecil Thomas, who will retire today after 27 years with the Cincinnati Police Division and take over as the commission's interim director, said he wants the same thing council members do — to reshape the organization.
“All I heard from them is that they want a clear direction,” said Mr. Thomas, who for the past two years has been president of the Sentinel Police Association, an African-American police organization of about 250 officers. “That gives me and the board something to work on, to give them that direction.”
In a press conference in the commission's City Hall offices Thursday, Mr. Thomas acknowledged it “has been criticized and targeted for elimination.”
But he said he can repair the commission by focusing on problems with its internal structure and its relationship with the City Council and police department.
“I assure you the Human Relations Commission is just as valuable today as it was yesterday, and as it will most certainly be tomorrow,” Mr. Thomas said.
Police Officer Keith Fangman, president of the police union, said he is worried that Mr. Thomas will cause more problems for the commission.
“He has a very polarizing person ality,” Mr. Fangman said. “In reference to his improvement of police-community relations, we need a person in that position who is open-minded and can bring different groups to the table.”
Mr. Thomas shrugged off the criticism, saying he is committed to making it work.
Founded in 1943 as the Mayor's Friendly Relations Committee, the commission's original mission was to study problems connected with the promotion of tolerance and harmony. In 1965, following nationwide race riots, the commission was renamed and charged with investigating religious, racial and ethnic relationships.
Mr. Thomas will earn between $60,000 and $70,000 as interim director. He will also continue to be paid as police specialist until October — when he will get retirement benefits — because he is owed more than 1,000 hours of vacation and overtime pay.
Commission Chairman Ernie Waits Jr. disagreed with suggestions that Mr. Thomas was “double dipping,” saying the commission is not a city organization and that Mr. Thomas will no longer work for the Police Division.
But council members — who approved the commission's $460,000 budget and last year refused to give money for the board to hire a permanent director — questioned why Mr. Thomas was hired.
“Nobody mentioned they were going to hire an executive director,” said Mayor Charlie Luken, adding he met with commission leaders two weeks ago. “I think it was curious the decision was made at this time.”
Councilmen Charlie Winburn and Phil Heimlich discussed “defunding” the commission and changing its mission. Other council members said they wanted to keep the commission, but said the board needed to present the council with a list of goals.
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