For those of you waiting for the other shoe to drop, be advised that it hit the floor with a thud at 1 p.m. Chief Tincher was summoned to Steven Baumgartner's office this afternoon to have the city attorney, David LaCroix hand him his head on a platter.
Ed Tincher, our thirty year veteran of the Brooksville Police Department was put on unpaid administrative leave this afternoon with the information acquired by the unlicensed private investigator hired by the city. It bears repeating again that Mr. LaCroix equated the lack of a license for Mr. James Farley to that of a taxi driver entering into the city, saying it was not necessary he (Mr. Farley) be licensed to work for the city. It has never been mentioned that Mr. Farley is also a current city council member for the city of Crystal River and may be in violation of the dual office holder provision of the state constitution for working for the city of Brooksville, too.
Apparently too much controversy swirled around the hiring of Eddie McConnell to be interim police chief so Steve Baumgartner hired someone else for the position. Mr. Frank Ross, a 63 year old retired police officer from Titusville was hired to oversee the police department. I wonder if a written contract was drawn up for Mr. Ross since Mr. Farley has been working freelance for the city without the benefit of a written contract. Did I mention that the verbal contract with Mr. Farley also violates the city charter.
The city of Brooksville's "new direction" is a disgrace beyond words. The city of Brooksville now has an Interim city manager, interim police chief, and no human resource director. As a play on words from the former mayor of New York City, Ed Koch, "How are we doing now?"
