GALION, OH (CRAWFORD COUNTY NOW)—Former Galion Police Chief Marc Rodriquez has filed a federal lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio Eastern Division, accusing Galion Mayor Tom O’Leary and the City of Galion of serious criminal and civil allegations of racism and discrimination.

Represented by Galion Attorney Roberta Wade, Rodriquez’s Complaint seeks damages from the city and targets O’Leary personally.

The lawsuit outlines a series of troubling allegations against Mayor O’Leary, including his lack of support for Chief Rodriguez despite his qualifications and performance. O’Leary’s behavior towards Rodriguez is described as unsupportive, oppositional, confrontational, and threatening, with instances of clenching fists and yelling.

Additionally, the lawsuit addresses accusations made by a former dispatcher who resigned after alleged misconduct and made accusations against Chief Rodriguez to Safety-Service Director Nicole Ward.

Despite a lack of detailed or sworn statements, Chief Rodriguez was immediately removed from his position and placed on administrative leave with pay, never returning to his duties.

The Complaint also highlights Mayor O’Leary’s alleged racist behavior, including derogatory comments about Mexicans and openly expressing hatred towards them at City Hall.

 The investigation into the allegations was criticized for its lack of independence, and Chief Rodriguez was eventually issued an Order of Removal on December 16, 2022. Safety-Service Director Ward signed the removal instead of the Mayor, as required by Ohio law.

The lawsuit contends that Mayor O’Leary’s actions violated Ohio Revised Code Section 2921.45, which prohibits Ohio public servants from knowingly depriving individuals of their constitutional or statutory rights. The criminal conduct is subject to legal action under Section 2307.60 of the Revised Code.

Crawford County Now reached out to Galion Mayor O’Leary and received this response from the city of Galion:

“We deny the allegations in the Complaint. Our lawyers are going to vigorously defend this. We note the same allegations were made to the EEOC, which decided not to pursue the claim after Galion provided information on why Mr. Rodriguez was terminated. A police chief should lead by example in his treatment of women.

In our opinion, the false and inflammatory allegations made against the Mayor only highlight the lack of merit of the claim and were designed 1) for the press to write inflammatory stories without having all the facts and 2) to deflect from Mr. Rodriguez’s conduct, which led to his termination. At the advice of our lawyers, we will not further comment on this.”

Matt Echelberry

Communications Director, City of Galion

 

To read the lawsuit in its entirety, please click the link below.

Rodriguez.Marc v. City of Galion and Mayor 4.23.24 erw pdf

Crawford County Now will continue to cover this developing news story.