WATERVILLE, Ohio (WTVG) - Waterville Fire Chief Doug Meyer is on paid administrative leave, and his attorney says the city has yet to provide any substantive explanation for the action.Meyer has led the Waterville Fire Department since 2020. His attorney, Norman Abood, said he has been seeking answers for months.“I’ve been attempting to find out what this is all about for months,” Abood said. “I’ve made numerous written inquiries — to the city, to the city administrator, to the city attorney ...
WATERVILLE, Ohio (WTVG) - Waterville Fire Chief Doug Meyer is on paid administrative leave, and his attorney says the city has yet to provide any substantive explanation for the action.
Meyer has led the Waterville Fire Department since 2020. His attorney, Norman Abood, said he has been seeking answers for months.
“I’ve been attempting to find out what this is all about for months,” Abood said. “I’ve made numerous written inquiries — to the city, to the city administrator, to the city attorney — and I have not been provided any substantive response.”
Abood said Meyer has not been told what allegations, if any, prompted the leave — a situation he described as a due process concern.
“We’ve not been provided with any indication of what these allegations, rumors, whatever they are, are,” Abood said. “So, we haven’t had an opportunity to respond.”
Abood said the process has been distressing for Meyer, his family and friends, and that Meyer’s inability to respond publicly has compounded the situation.
“His reputation is being bandied about in public and he has no ability to respond because we don’t know what we’re responding to,” Abood said.
In a statement, Waterville Mayor Tim Pedro said Meyer “has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an examination to personnel matters at the Waterville Fire Department.” Pedro added that the department “is fully staffed and under the supervision of Assistant Chief David Moore.”
Reached by text Thursday, Meyer said, “It’s important for Waterville residents and myself to get real answers.”
Abood said community safety and transparency remain top concerns for his client.
“Transparency is of course a continuing concern. The safety of the community is utmost on his list of concerns,” Abood said.
Abood said nothing is off the table when it comes to protecting Meyer, including litigation.
“We’re entitled to due process,” he said.