By Gregory Korte
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Cincinnati City Manager Valerie Lemmie said Thursday that she wants to give police supervisors their long overdue pay raises.

Here's the twist: Fraternal Order of Police President Roger Webster says he doesn't want them.

In the latest display of just how bizarre the debate over civil service reform has become, Webster said Thursday that the city shouldn't be able to pick and choose which parts of a binding arbitration award it wants to follow.

A state-appointed conciliator ruled July 2 that a city charter provision giving the city manager the power to hire and fire assistant police chiefs is invalid because it conflicts with the FOP contract. Because the city can't force the FOP to negotiate those changes, the assistant chiefs maintain their protected status, arbitrator Michael Paolucci said.

Most council members - led by Pat DeWine - have rejected that argument, saying the will of the city's voters should prevail. Voters passed the civil service changes in 2001 as part of Issue 5, a post-riot reform intended to strengthen civilian oversight of the Cincinnati Police Department.

Thursday, after informally consulting with City Council members on summer recess, Lemmie ordered the city treasurer to add the $150,000 in back raises into the supervisors' next paychecks. Supervisors had been working without a contract since the old pact expired last year.

Lemmie's action is intended to smooth over labor relations with the supervisors, who make up about a quarter of the 1,050-member police force. She wants to implement the remainder of the contract while City Council decides whether to appeal the arbitrator's ruling.

Not so fast, says the police union.

"You can't have half the pie without the other half," Webster said. "I'd love to see the guys get paid, but not at the expense of Issue 5."

He wants Capt. Stephen Gregorie - the top scorer in a civil service test - appointed to the assistant chief's position formerly held by Lt. Col. Ron Twitty, who resigned as part of a plea agreement involving damage to his city car.

E-mail gkorte@enquirer.com