Ex-O’Fallon Police Chief Jerry Schulte wants his old job back
O’Fallon’s last police chief has applied to become O’Fallon’s next police chief.
Huh?
Yes, you read that correctly.
Former Chief Jerry Schulte has submitted his application for the open police chief’s job. He could not immediately be reached for comment today.
Jerry Schulte
Two others have applied for the position as well by today’s 5 p.m. deadline. They are high-ranking O’Fallon police officers: Maj. Kyle Kelley and Interim Police Chief Bill Seibert.
Jerry Schulte stepped down Jan. 9 under an early retirement deal offered by Mayor Donna Morrow and City Administrator Robert Lowery Jr.
Schulte, who became chief in 2005, had been with the department nearly 35 years. He has said he had been seriously considering retiring on his 62nd birthday June 30.
And in December, Morrow and Lowery proposed the early retirement package, which pays him based on his regular gross yearly pay of $113,048 through the end of February.
From March through June 30, Schulte will act in an advisory role to the acting police chief and collect pay for remaining vacation and sick time and receive health insurance coverage.
He has accrued about 683 hours of vacation and sick time (or 17 weeks), equal to about $37,000 in gross pay.
Soon after his retirement announcment, Schulte told the Post-Dispatch he didn’t regard the offer as an effort to force his departure and that Lowery and Morrow didn’t express dissatisfaction with his performance. “I could have refused,” he said.
Mayor Donna Morrow said Schulte’s attempt to win back his job is a violation of the retirement agreement.
According to the agreement, “Schulte hereby waives any right to future employment with the City.”
Morrow said in an interview today she was disappointed with the department’s progress under Schulte. She said she wanted more women and minorities promoted to higher-ranking positions, more community outreach programs, more officers patrolling the streets and “more accountability” within the department, which she would not specify.
The police chief’s job opening was available only to internal candidates, though the city originally said it planned to conduct a national search.
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Go Jerry! Remember the only times Morrow and Lowry do not keep their word is when their lips are moving.
I guess Morrow had a problem with Schulte guiding O’Fallon to be one of the safest cities in America? I guess Schulte can sue Morrow now since she slandered his name? If Morrow was held to the same standard she couldn’t even get a job serving slop to hogs.
What happened to the “nationwide” search for a chief? This does make it look like Siebert was brought in by Morrow / Lowery and now they need to make him chief before they are out.
As far as women being promoted within the police dept, they can’t hire a women without her getting pregnant in the first year…look at their record. They want to promote why? So they don’t have to have them on the road and make sure they have a male backup at every call. Yes I am a woman and I work in a mostly male environment. But give me a break, we are shorthanded with officers on the road, and this doesn’t help when it’s taking up budget from a dept already short on officers.
God forbid someone gets promoted being the most qualified or competent.
Does this mean Lowery and Morrow were lying about not forcing Schulte out? I can’t believe it. Every penny Lowery gets from the taxpayers of O’Fallon is a disgrace. Do your job council! As for Donna, better to be thought the fool than to open your mouth and prove it,again.
Things might not always run smoothly here in O’Fallon but as a life long resident with personal ties to the city, I can still say I am proud to be a citizen of O’Fallon. Yes, growing cities do run across new problems, but I get the feeling that a majority of people who complain have not seen what O’Fallon was founded on. We live in a great city. Great schools, great parks, and exceptionally safe. C’mon people, I am sure that there are bad seeds in place right now, but if you honestly believe that it is in their best interests to screw us all over I feel sorry for you. I am not turning a blind eye. I personally know some of the people who work within O’Fallon government and they work hard to make us happy. Not that they should not be put in check when it comes to their job, I mean that it is the career path they chose, but personal attacks are unnecessary. O’Fallon will see brighter days.
I can not believe all the stories I have read the last few days/weeks/months about Donna, Bob, and company! It’s time for them to GO!
Most of us here in my neighborhood have agreed to vote for the one that promises give Bob the boot. Should we all be afraid (very afraid) that our own Mayor doesn’t see how this city is going to function without Bob?
I think Morrow & Lowery thought they were safe as long as they don’t cross the line and become as bad or worse than the alternatives. Looks like more failed strategies.