October 30, 2025 • 21 mins
Willie talks with Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge's brother, Captain Russ Neville of the CPD, about his sister's dismissal by city leadership.
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
By Billy Cunningham, the great American. Of course, the issue
of the firing Charlie Say, administrative discharge in a sense
of Chief of Police Thigi is on the front burner.
It's one of the big election issues coming up on Tuesday.
In the studio with me? Now, is Captain russ Neville retired?
Is that correct? How many years you spen four thirty
four years? Did you enjoy it?
Speaker 2 (00:27):
I did? I enjoyed it, respect it, appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
But more importantly, you're the brother, let's get it out
there of Terry Thigi. She is your sister, correct, yes, sir.
A little bit of the history of Chief Thiji A
mother of four? Is that correct?
Speaker 2 (00:40):
Yes, sir.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
She went through the whole police department from bottom to
top with four kids, and I guess there are adults
by this point. And then how many grandchildren does she have?
Speaker 2 (00:49):
She has nine grandchildren.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
So the city manager and Mary wants to fire a
mother and a grandmother. Correct, yes, Tell me about Tell
me about your feelings about what happened to Chief Thigi
and why it was so unfair.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
Well, I think there's a combination of reasons. But the
way it came about is ridiculously unfair, bordering on inhumane.
There were opportunities for communication that could have ended in
a different fashion. Basically, what they did is they forced
her to fight, and we're not going to walk away
from a fight. She dedicated thirty five years to the city.
(01:22):
She was a good team player, A leader. She is
not and I emphasized, not a DEI higher. She earned
everything she got through her thirty five years. She was
mentored by some of the best and brightest minds of
this organization over the last thirty five years. Tom Striker,
Jim Whalen, Vince Demassi. Not bad, not bad at that.
(01:43):
So if anybody wants to throw DEI out related to Terry,
they are way off base.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
She earned it, earned it a hard way, the hard way,
being a mother and a grandmother while being in a
cop You mentioned this the other day. Not easy. It's
hard for a man, a father, much less a mother
and a great mother to put in sixty seventy hours
a week on behalf of the people with Cincinnati. And
she did it without reservation, without anger, without frustration. She
(02:08):
did her job.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
She did it with pride and commitment and dedication and care.
I couldn't begin to tell the amount Terry cares regarding
the communities, and I mean all fifty two, not one
or two like the mayor, all fifty two communities, all demographics.
It doesn't matter to Terry. What's right is right and
what service needs to be provided shall be provided.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
Why was she ill use the term fired? Because that's
where it's coming. I can't imagine after this review, bought
and paid for by the mayor, the law firm that
he hired, is going to come back and say, oh,
you know, Mayor, you're wrong. You know what's going to
come in a couple of months is smearing of thief
chief Fiji. Well, why do you think it happened.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
I think it happened because she had a desire to
provide services to the community that would reduce diminish impact
violent crime. And I think she had thoughts, plans, and
ideas on that. And I will leave it at that
for now until things work themselves out going forward. And
I believe the mayor had a different opinion.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
As far as the administrative put on the administrative leave
with pay of your sister. The mayor said a day
or two after this happened, we're going to start enforcing
the law. We're going to have misdemeanors being enforced. You know,
as a cop, you come from a family of cops
going back about one hundred years that when you enforce
the broken window theory of law enforcement, when someone is
(03:31):
taking drugs in public, when someone is sleeping on a
public sidewalk, when someone is shooting through a window and
he's classified as property damage, you know something's wrong. Do
you think the mayor got the message that somehow you
cops are going to have started enforcing the law, because
it hasn't happened so far.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
I couldn't begin to tell you what message the mayor got,
but I will offer to you those services are provided.
Lesser crimes are focused on and were focused on under Terry.
But there it is. Bill. If there's a revolving door
at the justice center, or if there's early release for
no justified reason, placing people back into the communities where
(04:10):
they just victimized people without accountability one through fifteen times,
it's irrelevant. They there needs to be something done to
control the early release and the offenders being placed back
out into the streets without any accountability.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
That's not on the coppers.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
It's not on the cops. It's on the judges exactly.
And I am here to say the cops work hard.
I'm not criticizing for one second the officers of Cincinnati
or any agency in Hamilcany and beyond. I'm here to
tell you that the administrative suspension of Terry was in
humaine unjust. And let's think about the fact that it's
(04:49):
asked backwards. You place your ound administrative suspension, then you
decide you're going to hire a law firm in your
conducting investigation determined why you placed yourun administrative suspension. I'll
leave the rest of that to her lawyer, mister m
and Terry. But everybody with a lick of sense understands
what this is about, what's driving it, who's driving it,
(05:10):
And that's where I think the conversation needs to go
as we go forward. Today.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
I think Channel twelve had this report about the emails,
the text messages back and forth. A precipitating factor, according
to Cheryl Long, was that your sister Chief Thiji joined
the Hamlety County Police Chiefs Group without the permission of
the city manager or the mayor. Was that a made
(05:34):
up Was that precipitating it? Wasn't unusual for the chief
of police of Cincinnati, which is about forty percent of
the county, to join a group of other police chiefs.
Is that a bad act? Was that wrong for Thiji
to do?
Speaker 2 (05:49):
I don't see why it was wrong or how it
could be wrong. I mean, it's part of your responsibilities
as the head of an organization is to communicate with
heads of other organizations and put together strategies and plans.
I just have to leave it at that until anything
goes forward involving the case that may be pending.
Speaker 1 (06:06):
Well, what is does Chief Thiji want her job back?
Speaker 2 (06:11):
I can't speak for her Bill either. I talked to
her every day.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
You must talk to her every day.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
Talk to her.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
Does she want her job back?
Speaker 2 (06:18):
I'm going to refrain from answering a question based on
mister M's recommendations.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
Let me say this. I would say no, because how
do you work in that environment when you can't implement
the policies and procedures you want to implement. Because the
city manager and the mayor, and I guess counsels Scottie
Johnson others are saying, don't do that. In other words,
put in speed bumps, don't pull people over for traffic offenses.
I had on the corner about a month ago, and
she was going to a big event, I think Fiddler
(06:43):
on the Roof at the music hall, and she and
a retired federal judge felt threatened walking across Washington Park
when they left the play early because they knew they
had to get back to the car before dark. Those
are the things that I think that the police should
administer and take care of. Did the police directly indirectly
receive orders or indications from the city manager or the
(07:05):
mayor not to enforce certain statutes? I think that was
the case. That's why the mayor said we're going to
start enforcing the criminal law. Was there a sense under
your sister's leadership that she was told directly or indirectly
by expression or implication not to enforce certain criminal statutes?
Speaker 2 (07:20):
Not that I'm aware of, and I talk to her
every day, and I think it is something that needs
to be kept between her and her attorney and for
any future purposes. So I really do refrain from discussing it, Bill,
because it is right for her going forward with any
potential When will she speak when her attorneys when the
case is settled potentially.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
So going back to my point, does she want her
job back? You can't say yes to that.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
I'm not going to answer that. I will tell you this,
you wouldn't want it. I wouldn't want it. My brother Mike,
who's in the studio with us, wouldn't want it. But
I'm not going to speak for Terry.
Speaker 1 (07:55):
Why wouldn't you and your brother Mike want Why wouldn't
someone who's come up through the right from the bottom
of the top not want the job today?
Speaker 2 (08:04):
Well today, meaning only under these circumstances. Wanting the job
prior to this happening to her, I would have even
wanted it at that point. But under these circumstances, why
would anybody want to go back and work and report
to two individuals that have treated them so inhumanely. One
reason somebody may want to do it because they care
about the community, and they care about the members of
(08:26):
the organization, and they appreciate the support they're getting from
each of those. So you have to balance those elements
and reporting to two people who treat it so inhumanely,
who clearly don't want you there. And let's emphasize it
is two people, Bill, It's not one. What was it
inhumane about her discharge? It was done in a shockingly
(08:50):
surprising way. She didn't see it coming, didn't see it coming.
It was done after a text notification to come back
from a police ofference where she was there to represent
the city of Cincinnati and the police department in an honorable,
a leadership fashion, and it was done with minimal to
(09:12):
no communication. And I'll leave it at that.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
From cher Long's perspective, why do it? Then? It's like embarrassing.
According to media accounts, someone was listening to me at
one seventeen PM. Somebody told me her days were in
the single digits.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
Yeah, I heard you.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
And she goes to I was told that. So she
goes to Denver for this national deal and I'm thinking
this isn't good. But somebody approved her trip to Denver.
She didn't do this. Did city manager approve her trip
to Denver? I couldn't tell you the process on who
approved it. Bill, she had authorization to go to Denver
and represent the City of Cincinnati, the police department, in
(09:46):
the constituents of Cincinnati and represent them in high fashion,
in high order, honorably, and she was summoned back. Shock
would you say she was shocked at that maneuver by
Cheryl Long.
Speaker 2 (09:59):
I would say she was off gored that she needed
to come back so quickly.
Speaker 1 (10:02):
Because right now, as I understand it, she's an I
WILL employee. That means she can be fired for a
good reason, a bad reason, or no reason. It can't
be an illegal reason. But if the city manager would
say to Teresa Theichi, you know things aren't going very well,
I have to let you go. Let's talk about how
we do this. That's different than what happened. Correct, That
(10:24):
is definitely different than what happened. So she gave an
interview somewhere that she said she sent a text or
something Cheryl Long that said, I got thirty five years
in October twentieth as my anniversary. I'm not going to
be here forever. I want to have some indication as
to the future. Do you recall seeing that text. I'm
aware that text is out there. And as far as
her being out there, was she planning to retire anyway?
(10:45):
Because when you say you know, you've been at a
job for a long time and somebody you get an
indication things are going the wrong direction. When she said
I know I'm not going to be there forever. Was
that an indication from her that she knew something was coming?
Speaker 2 (11:00):
I honestly cannot answer that. I don't know what her
thought was when she sent that. I haven't discussed that
text with her.
Speaker 1 (11:06):
Do you know how she was fired put on an
administrative leave?
Speaker 2 (11:09):
You know how? I truly don't. I don't recall if
it's something she was told or if it was something
that was notified by her attorney. I truly don't recall
how it came to her.
Speaker 1 (11:17):
Was she shocked about that? She was caught off guard,
off guard and it just came out of the blue. Yes,
how is she doing today? This afternoon? Is she actually
it's interesting you ask. Over a thousand people have asked
me that question in the last two weeks. She's doing
well as well as can be. She's spending she's doing
as well as can be. She's she's she's terry, she's
(11:40):
a leader, she's confident, she's independent, she's capable to overcome anything.
But with that said, it's a kick to the gut.
It's internally straining.
Speaker 2 (11:54):
Her. Her feelings are hurt, her reputation has been tarnished.
But with that said, Bill, she I gid you not.
She is approached everywhere we go, or she goes in
one hundred and fifty mile radius of Cincinnati, with people
saying they support her, they believe in her, they know
what's really going on, they know it's politics. She was
(12:16):
at the Bengals game the other day and there were
people yelling from two two levels up down to her
saying we support you, we believe in you. Keep fighting
the fight. But with that said, and that's all great, right,
that's all awesome for her to hear, But at the
same time, there's the internal hit that comes with that
of what she's going through that would even cause people
to need to yell that out to her and show
(12:38):
that support to her. But she's doing as well as
anybody could do under this situation.
Speaker 1 (12:42):
She's going sixty seventy miles an hour. All of a
sudden there's a crash, and at this point she I
guess four kids, how many grandkids? Nine nine, maybe some
on the way. She's a mother and a grandmother and
now she's going to care for her family. And she's
always cared for her family. She's always physically present, and
(13:02):
she wasn't physically present. I would think for a long
part of her life because she was a cop, and
going forward, who knows what's going to happen. I think
the important takeaway is Number One, she was shocked about
what happened. Number Two, your indications are she won't take
the job back as it's presently constituted.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
Because I don't mix it up. I'm not indicating one
or the other. I'm telling you I don't know what
Terry's answer that definitively is or would be. And even
if I did, and I wouldn't share it, I would
let her do it and her attorney do it at
due time. What I'm telling you is you wouldn't take
it back. I wouldn't take it back, and Mike wouldn't
take it back. But Terry's independent, Terry's confident, and that's
(13:41):
for Terry to decide if that ever comes to fruition.
Speaker 1 (13:44):
Is there some information she has about the mayor or
the city manager that would require her to sign an
NDA in order to get the settlement?
Speaker 2 (13:53):
To my knowledge, none of those discussions have taken place,
and if they've had, Terry's kept them between herself and
her attorney.
Speaker 1 (13:59):
So they be something that you can make public to
embarrass the city behavior no.
Speaker 2 (14:03):
I'm just responding to the NDA. I don't know the
embarrassment side of it, Bill, I can't answer it. I
think there are things that took place in her in
her career during her administration that would benefit her through litigation,
but I don't know what those are at this time,
and we'll just have to leave it that way until
mister m decides what to do with what information he compiles,
(14:25):
or what he chooses to do going forward.
Speaker 1 (14:27):
Davis with Chris Finny Law Firm. A week before all
these events transpired, she was, in your view, respected by
Cheryl long respected. I can recall we had numerous news
conferences on the air. It was af Tab, it was
Cheryl and and it was long and also Thiji. The
(14:47):
three of them stood up there. Questions were asked of
the mayor, for example, are you satisfied with the chief
of police? Every time it was yes, Yes, her evaluations
were exceptional or above exceptional, whatever the heck that is.
And that this was up to the moment she was
put on administrative leave. Was there a triggering event that
went from exceptional to your gone? Because normally, in normal life,
(15:11):
you if you have a bad employee, you give them
bad reviews. You know you got to improve this, got
to do that. I've seen the reviews. They're off the charts.
Teresa Tiji was at the top. All of a sudden,
she's gone. What happened in those two or three days
that caused that to transpire? When the mayor says she's
better in sliced bread, now she's going to be sliced.
What happened?
Speaker 2 (15:31):
It's the question for the mayor to answer. It's a question.
He's not a question for the mayor answer. It's a
question for the manager.
Speaker 1 (15:37):
She's not talking.
Speaker 2 (15:38):
You're correct, and we don't know what it is that
caused this to happen.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
Bill, yesterday, you're looking at the mayor. You were sitting
at that table. You've been in public service in Cincinnati
for more than thirty years, a captain well known, the
family and Neville family is well known. You look at
the mayor and you said, we need a strong or
a Week leader. What did you say to the mayor?
And he did not respond? To man to man, eyeball
(16:05):
to eyeball, what did you say to Aftab?
Speaker 2 (16:07):
Basically, I basically shared that the city is under Week leadership,
whether it be him or the manager. I said that,
I think people who are going out to vote need
to make a decision on what's most important to them.
Is it going forward, is it improvement, or is it
maintaining a loyalty or commitment to whatever thought process you
have that have placed him in there. And I offered
(16:28):
to people not to vote for the coward. So you're
calling Aftab pure of all, a coward. I called him
a coward.
Speaker 1 (16:34):
What about Cheryl Long?
Speaker 2 (16:36):
Cheryl Long wasn't there. She was out there, she skipped,
she wasn't there. She did arrive. I think as we
were leaving chambers, I did not see her go in.
I was told she came in after we had left Chambers.
So that's where we are.
Speaker 1 (16:53):
She did a great job in North College Hill. Now
she's doing it for the people of Cincinnati.
Speaker 2 (16:57):
Yeah, and it's the decision making of those that are
in charge now, Bill that has us where we are.
That mayor has no he generates no benefit to the
city of Cincinnati. He does not, truly, truly, in his gut,
in his heart, care about the people of Cincinnati, the constituents.
(17:18):
He's wasting money, he's wasting resources. He treated a thirty
five year veteran of this department like the trash to
be thrown out. And I think the voters please please
understand that literally crime if things hadn't happened in the
downtown business district. I don't know that this happens. The
(17:40):
amer can answer that litigation may answer that I don't know,
but I will offer you have crime plateaus, you have
an ebb and flow of crime throughout the other fifty
one neighborhoods. Mayor has never shown this type of response
and benefit or support of those neighborhoods. And I think
I think it's I'm not thinking. I'm certain this is
a political decision. It's a scapegoat situation. I think he's weak.
(18:04):
I think he's a coward, and I think he's bad
for this city. And I wish people would come out,
get out of their comfort zone, vote for new leadership.
And I really believe this. If you want to go
down to council and vote for four or five of
the current council members, do it. Do it, get some
(18:25):
new council representative and the Smitherman heating currny I think
still Scottie Johnson actually on there now some mixture, some
new and some old blood and let's see what can
be done. But regarding the mayor, do not do not
hast to vote for the marriage just because you're down
(18:45):
there voting for the council representatives. Vote for new leadership.
People know what that means. Vote for new leadership in
that mayor seat. If you want to see economic improvement,
if you want to see first responder management improvement, if
you want to see humane treatment. I highly recommend people
come out and those that haven't voted in ten years
(19:06):
or so, Billy, check the website, see if their registration
is still valid. Come out, come out. We're still sitting
at twenty five twenty eight percent right now.
Speaker 1 (19:15):
Low.
Speaker 2 (19:16):
If we get that to say thirty five forty forty
five fifty, specifically on the west side, Hyde Park, Mount
look Out, Mount Washington, we can have new leadership. Now.
Speaker 1 (19:26):
People have to vote to get off. Vote off your
duff and go do something. If you care, I mean
if you don't care. If you don't care, don't vote,
don't care. If you like the status quo, want to
continue with this, you know what to do. Don't vote
or vote for AFTAB. You call him the coward of Cincinnati.
You have to have pureivault.
Speaker 2 (19:41):
Well, I think he's a bad manager. I think he's disloyal,
I think he lies. I think he's a coward the
way he's handled this. And you know what, a week
and a half prior to this, he says to my
brother that there's no light between he and the chief
while all this is brewing apparently, I mean yesterday, my
brother Mike is a pro it's by Iris Rowley at
(20:02):
council chambers to show support for Terry and how much
she believes she's being mistreated and this is being let
me finish this being mistreated, and how much she treats,
appreciates and respects her and wishes things work out well.
Whether Iris believes that or not, I don't know. But
people who say those things, if you truly believe them,
(20:23):
get out from behind closed doors and share it. It's
not about Terry. It's about future seats for this chief position,
the fire chief position. It's about the future of the city. Right.
If we want to use Terry as a process of
explaining it and having the opportunity to share it, okay,
we'll do that. She shouldn't be going through it. But
with that said, there's council members reach out and they say,
(20:45):
how hey, we don't like the way this is being done.
They sit there and they they toe the line, as
you say, they tow the line, Bill, And that is
that leadership, is that character. It's neither.
Speaker 1 (20:57):
We got to run, Captain Russ Noville, good luck, get
out and vote. We get the government we deserve, and
at times that concerns me. Thank you, sir, captain, thank
you very much.
Speaker 2 (21:04):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (21:05):
Bill Cunningham News Radio seven hundred WO
By Billy Cunningham, the great American. Of course, the issue
of the firing Charlie Say, administrative discharge in a sense
of Chief of Police Thigi is on the front burner.
It's one of the big election issues coming up on Tuesday.
In the studio with me? Now, is Captain russ Neville retired?
Is that correct? How many years you spen four thirty
four years? Did you enjoy it?
Speaker 2 (00:27):
I did? I enjoyed it, respect it, appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
But more importantly, you're the brother, let's get it out
there of Terry Thigi. She is your sister, correct, yes, sir.
A little bit of the history of Chief Thiji A
mother of four? Is that correct?
Speaker 2 (00:40):
Yes, sir.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
She went through the whole police department from bottom to
top with four kids, and I guess there are adults
by this point. And then how many grandchildren does she have?
Speaker 2 (00:49):
She has nine grandchildren.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
So the city manager and Mary wants to fire a
mother and a grandmother. Correct, yes, Tell me about Tell
me about your feelings about what happened to Chief Thigi
and why it was so unfair.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
Well, I think there's a combination of reasons. But the
way it came about is ridiculously unfair, bordering on inhumane.
There were opportunities for communication that could have ended in
a different fashion. Basically, what they did is they forced
her to fight, and we're not going to walk away
from a fight. She dedicated thirty five years to the city.
(01:22):
She was a good team player, A leader. She is
not and I emphasized, not a DEI higher. She earned
everything she got through her thirty five years. She was
mentored by some of the best and brightest minds of
this organization over the last thirty five years. Tom Striker,
Jim Whalen, Vince Demassi. Not bad, not bad at that.
(01:43):
So if anybody wants to throw DEI out related to Terry,
they are way off base.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
She earned it, earned it a hard way, the hard way,
being a mother and a grandmother while being in a
cop You mentioned this the other day. Not easy. It's
hard for a man, a father, much less a mother
and a great mother to put in sixty seventy hours
a week on behalf of the people with Cincinnati. And
she did it without reservation, without anger, without frustration. She
(02:08):
did her job.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
She did it with pride and commitment and dedication and care.
I couldn't begin to tell the amount Terry cares regarding
the communities, and I mean all fifty two, not one
or two like the mayor, all fifty two communities, all demographics.
It doesn't matter to Terry. What's right is right and
what service needs to be provided shall be provided.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
Why was she ill use the term fired? Because that's
where it's coming. I can't imagine after this review, bought
and paid for by the mayor, the law firm that
he hired, is going to come back and say, oh,
you know, Mayor, you're wrong. You know what's going to
come in a couple of months is smearing of thief
chief Fiji. Well, why do you think it happened.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
I think it happened because she had a desire to
provide services to the community that would reduce diminish impact
violent crime. And I think she had thoughts, plans, and
ideas on that. And I will leave it at that
for now until things work themselves out going forward. And
I believe the mayor had a different opinion.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
As far as the administrative put on the administrative leave
with pay of your sister. The mayor said a day
or two after this happened, we're going to start enforcing
the law. We're going to have misdemeanors being enforced. You know,
as a cop, you come from a family of cops
going back about one hundred years that when you enforce
the broken window theory of law enforcement, when someone is
(03:31):
taking drugs in public, when someone is sleeping on a
public sidewalk, when someone is shooting through a window and
he's classified as property damage, you know something's wrong. Do
you think the mayor got the message that somehow you
cops are going to have started enforcing the law, because
it hasn't happened so far.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
I couldn't begin to tell you what message the mayor got,
but I will offer to you those services are provided.
Lesser crimes are focused on and were focused on under Terry.
But there it is. Bill. If there's a revolving door
at the justice center, or if there's early release for
no justified reason, placing people back into the communities where
(04:10):
they just victimized people without accountability one through fifteen times,
it's irrelevant. They there needs to be something done to
control the early release and the offenders being placed back
out into the streets without any accountability.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
That's not on the coppers.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
It's not on the cops. It's on the judges exactly.
And I am here to say the cops work hard.
I'm not criticizing for one second the officers of Cincinnati
or any agency in Hamilcany and beyond. I'm here to
tell you that the administrative suspension of Terry was in
humaine unjust. And let's think about the fact that it's
(04:49):
asked backwards. You place your ound administrative suspension, then you
decide you're going to hire a law firm in your
conducting investigation determined why you placed yourun administrative suspension. I'll
leave the rest of that to her lawyer, mister m
and Terry. But everybody with a lick of sense understands
what this is about, what's driving it, who's driving it,
(05:10):
And that's where I think the conversation needs to go
as we go forward. Today.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
I think Channel twelve had this report about the emails,
the text messages back and forth. A precipitating factor, according
to Cheryl Long, was that your sister Chief Thiji joined
the Hamlety County Police Chiefs Group without the permission of
the city manager or the mayor. Was that a made
(05:34):
up Was that precipitating it? Wasn't unusual for the chief
of police of Cincinnati, which is about forty percent of
the county, to join a group of other police chiefs.
Is that a bad act? Was that wrong for Thiji
to do?
Speaker 2 (05:49):
I don't see why it was wrong or how it
could be wrong. I mean, it's part of your responsibilities
as the head of an organization is to communicate with
heads of other organizations and put together strategies and plans.
I just have to leave it at that until anything
goes forward involving the case that may be pending.
Speaker 1 (06:06):
Well, what is does Chief Thiji want her job back?
Speaker 2 (06:11):
I can't speak for her Bill either. I talked to
her every day.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
You must talk to her every day.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
Talk to her.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
Does she want her job back?
Speaker 2 (06:18):
I'm going to refrain from answering a question based on
mister M's recommendations.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
Let me say this. I would say no, because how
do you work in that environment when you can't implement
the policies and procedures you want to implement. Because the
city manager and the mayor, and I guess counsels Scottie
Johnson others are saying, don't do that. In other words,
put in speed bumps, don't pull people over for traffic offenses.
I had on the corner about a month ago, and
she was going to a big event, I think Fiddler
(06:43):
on the Roof at the music hall, and she and
a retired federal judge felt threatened walking across Washington Park
when they left the play early because they knew they
had to get back to the car before dark. Those
are the things that I think that the police should
administer and take care of. Did the police directly indirectly
receive orders or indications from the city manager or the
(07:05):
mayor not to enforce certain statutes? I think that was
the case. That's why the mayor said we're going to
start enforcing the criminal law. Was there a sense under
your sister's leadership that she was told directly or indirectly
by expression or implication not to enforce certain criminal statutes?
Speaker 2 (07:20):
Not that I'm aware of, and I talk to her
every day, and I think it is something that needs
to be kept between her and her attorney and for
any future purposes. So I really do refrain from discussing it, Bill,
because it is right for her going forward with any
potential When will she speak when her attorneys when the
case is settled potentially.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
So going back to my point, does she want her
job back? You can't say yes to that.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
I'm not going to answer that. I will tell you this,
you wouldn't want it. I wouldn't want it. My brother Mike,
who's in the studio with us, wouldn't want it. But
I'm not going to speak for Terry.
Speaker 1 (07:55):
Why wouldn't you and your brother Mike want Why wouldn't
someone who's come up through the right from the bottom
of the top not want the job today?
Speaker 2 (08:04):
Well today, meaning only under these circumstances. Wanting the job
prior to this happening to her, I would have even
wanted it at that point. But under these circumstances, why
would anybody want to go back and work and report
to two individuals that have treated them so inhumanely. One
reason somebody may want to do it because they care
about the community, and they care about the members of
(08:26):
the organization, and they appreciate the support they're getting from
each of those. So you have to balance those elements
and reporting to two people who treat it so inhumanely,
who clearly don't want you there. And let's emphasize it
is two people, Bill, It's not one. What was it
inhumane about her discharge? It was done in a shockingly
(08:50):
surprising way. She didn't see it coming, didn't see it coming.
It was done after a text notification to come back
from a police ofference where she was there to represent
the city of Cincinnati and the police department in an honorable,
a leadership fashion, and it was done with minimal to
(09:12):
no communication. And I'll leave it at that.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
From cher Long's perspective, why do it? Then? It's like embarrassing.
According to media accounts, someone was listening to me at
one seventeen PM. Somebody told me her days were in
the single digits.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
Yeah, I heard you.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
And she goes to I was told that. So she
goes to Denver for this national deal and I'm thinking
this isn't good. But somebody approved her trip to Denver.
She didn't do this. Did city manager approve her trip
to Denver? I couldn't tell you the process on who
approved it. Bill, she had authorization to go to Denver
and represent the City of Cincinnati, the police department, in
(09:46):
the constituents of Cincinnati and represent them in high fashion,
in high order, honorably, and she was summoned back. Shock
would you say she was shocked at that maneuver by
Cheryl Long.
Speaker 2 (09:59):
I would say she was off gored that she needed
to come back so quickly.
Speaker 1 (10:02):
Because right now, as I understand it, she's an I
WILL employee. That means she can be fired for a
good reason, a bad reason, or no reason. It can't
be an illegal reason. But if the city manager would
say to Teresa Theichi, you know things aren't going very well,
I have to let you go. Let's talk about how
we do this. That's different than what happened. Correct, That
(10:24):
is definitely different than what happened. So she gave an
interview somewhere that she said she sent a text or
something Cheryl Long that said, I got thirty five years
in October twentieth as my anniversary. I'm not going to
be here forever. I want to have some indication as
to the future. Do you recall seeing that text. I'm
aware that text is out there. And as far as
her being out there, was she planning to retire anyway?
(10:45):
Because when you say you know, you've been at a
job for a long time and somebody you get an
indication things are going the wrong direction. When she said
I know I'm not going to be there forever. Was
that an indication from her that she knew something was coming?
Speaker 2 (11:00):
I honestly cannot answer that. I don't know what her
thought was when she sent that. I haven't discussed that
text with her.
Speaker 1 (11:06):
Do you know how she was fired put on an
administrative leave?
Speaker 2 (11:09):
You know how? I truly don't. I don't recall if
it's something she was told or if it was something
that was notified by her attorney. I truly don't recall
how it came to her.
Speaker 1 (11:17):
Was she shocked about that? She was caught off guard,
off guard and it just came out of the blue. Yes,
how is she doing today? This afternoon? Is she actually
it's interesting you ask. Over a thousand people have asked
me that question in the last two weeks. She's doing
well as well as can be. She's spending she's doing
as well as can be. She's she's she's terry, she's
(11:40):
a leader, she's confident, she's independent, she's capable to overcome anything.
But with that said, it's a kick to the gut.
It's internally straining.
Speaker 2 (11:54):
Her. Her feelings are hurt, her reputation has been tarnished.
But with that said, Bill, she I gid you not.
She is approached everywhere we go, or she goes in
one hundred and fifty mile radius of Cincinnati, with people
saying they support her, they believe in her, they know
what's really going on, they know it's politics. She was
(12:16):
at the Bengals game the other day and there were
people yelling from two two levels up down to her
saying we support you, we believe in you. Keep fighting
the fight. But with that said, and that's all great, right,
that's all awesome for her to hear, But at the
same time, there's the internal hit that comes with that
of what she's going through that would even cause people
to need to yell that out to her and show
(12:38):
that support to her. But she's doing as well as
anybody could do under this situation.
Speaker 1 (12:42):
She's going sixty seventy miles an hour. All of a
sudden there's a crash, and at this point she I
guess four kids, how many grandkids? Nine nine, maybe some
on the way. She's a mother and a grandmother and
now she's going to care for her family. And she's
always cared for her family. She's always physically present, and
(13:02):
she wasn't physically present. I would think for a long
part of her life because she was a cop, and
going forward, who knows what's going to happen. I think
the important takeaway is Number One, she was shocked about
what happened. Number Two, your indications are she won't take
the job back as it's presently constituted.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
Because I don't mix it up. I'm not indicating one
or the other. I'm telling you I don't know what
Terry's answer that definitively is or would be. And even
if I did, and I wouldn't share it, I would
let her do it and her attorney do it at
due time. What I'm telling you is you wouldn't take
it back. I wouldn't take it back, and Mike wouldn't
take it back. But Terry's independent, Terry's confident, and that's
(13:41):
for Terry to decide if that ever comes to fruition.
Speaker 1 (13:44):
Is there some information she has about the mayor or
the city manager that would require her to sign an
NDA in order to get the settlement?
Speaker 2 (13:53):
To my knowledge, none of those discussions have taken place,
and if they've had, Terry's kept them between herself and
her attorney.
Speaker 1 (13:59):
So they be something that you can make public to
embarrass the city behavior no.
Speaker 2 (14:03):
I'm just responding to the NDA. I don't know the
embarrassment side of it, Bill, I can't answer it. I
think there are things that took place in her in
her career during her administration that would benefit her through litigation,
but I don't know what those are at this time,
and we'll just have to leave it that way until
mister m decides what to do with what information he compiles,
(14:25):
or what he chooses to do going forward.
Speaker 1 (14:27):
Davis with Chris Finny Law Firm. A week before all
these events transpired, she was, in your view, respected by
Cheryl long respected. I can recall we had numerous news
conferences on the air. It was af Tab, it was
Cheryl and and it was long and also Thiji. The
(14:47):
three of them stood up there. Questions were asked of
the mayor, for example, are you satisfied with the chief
of police? Every time it was yes, Yes, her evaluations
were exceptional or above exceptional, whatever the heck that is.
And that this was up to the moment she was
put on administrative leave. Was there a triggering event that
went from exceptional to your gone? Because normally, in normal life,
(15:11):
you if you have a bad employee, you give them
bad reviews. You know you got to improve this, got
to do that. I've seen the reviews. They're off the charts.
Teresa Tiji was at the top. All of a sudden,
she's gone. What happened in those two or three days
that caused that to transpire? When the mayor says she's
better in sliced bread, now she's going to be sliced.
What happened?
Speaker 2 (15:31):
It's the question for the mayor to answer. It's a question.
He's not a question for the mayor answer. It's a
question for the manager.
Speaker 1 (15:37):
She's not talking.
Speaker 2 (15:38):
You're correct, and we don't know what it is that
caused this to happen.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
Bill, yesterday, you're looking at the mayor. You were sitting
at that table. You've been in public service in Cincinnati
for more than thirty years, a captain well known, the
family and Neville family is well known. You look at
the mayor and you said, we need a strong or
a Week leader. What did you say to the mayor?
And he did not respond? To man to man, eyeball
(16:05):
to eyeball, what did you say to Aftab?
Speaker 2 (16:07):
Basically, I basically shared that the city is under Week leadership,
whether it be him or the manager. I said that,
I think people who are going out to vote need
to make a decision on what's most important to them.
Is it going forward, is it improvement, or is it
maintaining a loyalty or commitment to whatever thought process you
have that have placed him in there. And I offered
(16:28):
to people not to vote for the coward. So you're
calling Aftab pure of all, a coward. I called him
a coward.
Speaker 1 (16:34):
What about Cheryl Long?
Speaker 2 (16:36):
Cheryl Long wasn't there. She was out there, she skipped,
she wasn't there. She did arrive. I think as we
were leaving chambers, I did not see her go in.
I was told she came in after we had left Chambers.
So that's where we are.
Speaker 1 (16:53):
She did a great job in North College Hill. Now
she's doing it for the people of Cincinnati.
Speaker 2 (16:57):
Yeah, and it's the decision making of those that are
in charge now, Bill that has us where we are.
That mayor has no he generates no benefit to the
city of Cincinnati. He does not, truly, truly, in his gut,
in his heart, care about the people of Cincinnati, the constituents.
(17:18):
He's wasting money, he's wasting resources. He treated a thirty
five year veteran of this department like the trash to
be thrown out. And I think the voters please please
understand that literally crime if things hadn't happened in the
downtown business district. I don't know that this happens. The
(17:40):
amer can answer that litigation may answer that I don't know,
but I will offer you have crime plateaus, you have
an ebb and flow of crime throughout the other fifty
one neighborhoods. Mayor has never shown this type of response
and benefit or support of those neighborhoods. And I think
I think it's I'm not thinking. I'm certain this is
a political decision. It's a scapegoat situation. I think he's weak.
(18:04):
I think he's a coward, and I think he's bad
for this city. And I wish people would come out,
get out of their comfort zone, vote for new leadership.
And I really believe this. If you want to go
down to council and vote for four or five of
the current council members, do it. Do it, get some
(18:25):
new council representative and the Smitherman heating currny I think
still Scottie Johnson actually on there now some mixture, some
new and some old blood and let's see what can
be done. But regarding the mayor, do not do not
hast to vote for the marriage just because you're down
(18:45):
there voting for the council representatives. Vote for new leadership.
People know what that means. Vote for new leadership in
that mayor seat. If you want to see economic improvement,
if you want to see first responder management improvement, if
you want to see humane treatment. I highly recommend people
come out and those that haven't voted in ten years
(19:06):
or so, Billy, check the website, see if their registration
is still valid. Come out, come out. We're still sitting
at twenty five twenty eight percent right now.
Speaker 1 (19:15):
Low.
Speaker 2 (19:16):
If we get that to say thirty five forty forty
five fifty, specifically on the west side, Hyde Park, Mount
look Out, Mount Washington, we can have new leadership. Now.
Speaker 1 (19:26):
People have to vote to get off. Vote off your
duff and go do something. If you care, I mean
if you don't care. If you don't care, don't vote,
don't care. If you like the status quo, want to
continue with this, you know what to do. Don't vote
or vote for AFTAB. You call him the coward of Cincinnati.
You have to have pureivault.
Speaker 2 (19:41):
Well, I think he's a bad manager. I think he's disloyal,
I think he lies. I think he's a coward the
way he's handled this. And you know what, a week
and a half prior to this, he says to my
brother that there's no light between he and the chief
while all this is brewing apparently, I mean yesterday, my
brother Mike is a pro it's by Iris Rowley at
(20:02):
council chambers to show support for Terry and how much
she believes she's being mistreated and this is being let
me finish this being mistreated, and how much she treats,
appreciates and respects her and wishes things work out well.
Whether Iris believes that or not, I don't know. But
people who say those things, if you truly believe them,
(20:23):
get out from behind closed doors and share it. It's
not about Terry. It's about future seats for this chief position,
the fire chief position. It's about the future of the city. Right.
If we want to use Terry as a process of
explaining it and having the opportunity to share it, okay,
we'll do that. She shouldn't be going through it. But
with that said, there's council members reach out and they say,
(20:45):
how hey, we don't like the way this is being done.
They sit there and they they toe the line, as
you say, they tow the line, Bill, And that is
that leadership, is that character. It's neither.
Speaker 1 (20:57):
We got to run, Captain Russ Noville, good luck, get
out and vote. We get the government we deserve, and
at times that concerns me. Thank you, sir, captain, thank
you very much.
Speaker 2 (21:04):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (21:05):
Bill Cunningham News Radio seven hundred WO
Bill Cunningham News
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