JEROME TOWNSHIP, Ohio — After a marathon disciplinary hearing spread over two days, Jerome Township trustees voted Wednesday to terminate Fire Chief Doug Stewart’s employment. Trustees Barry Adler, Joe Craft and Andrea Watson found that Stewart engaged in partisan political activity that violated township policy and was insubordinate toward township leadership.
The charges stemmed in part from a June meeting with Township Administrator Brandon Standley, during which Stewart acknowledged using a curse word. The vote to oust the chief followed the trustees’ earlier unanimous decision to pursue the charges, a process that included a nearly seven-hour hearing on Tuesday and a roughly two-and-a-half-hour session on Wednesday.
Stewart pushed back throughout the proceedings, testifying that he had been subjected to a hostile work environment, was retaliated against and was held to a different standard than other township employees. He said he raised those concerns repeatedly with Standley and with all three trustees, and that nothing was ever done. He described an offer made in June to accept a separation agreement as “a slap in the face,” saying he walked into that meeting with no expectation his job was on the line.
The hearing saw sharp procedural disputes as well, with township attorneys working to shore up the case after an initial investigation drew questions about due process. Some key testimony was stricken along the way. With the trustees’ decision now final, the fast-growing Union County township must chart a path forward for its fire department without the chief who led it.
