UPDATED: Twenty questions for Hillsboro City Council

1. Why doesn't Hillsboro City Council support the Hillsboro Police Department?

2. Why were Hillsboro police officers recently told by Hillsboro Mayor Drew Hastings "city council is not very supportive" of the department?

3. Why haven't city council members Lee Koogler, Bill Alexander, Tracy Aranyos, Rod Daniels, Dick Donley, Bonnie Parr, Peter Pence and Brian Waller publicly expressed their lack of support for the Hillsboro Police Department?

4. What concerns do council members have about the police department?

5. Why hasn't council shared these concerns with Hillsboro citizens and taxpayers?

6. When will council share these concerns?

7. Are these serious concerns?

8. Are these confirmed concerns?

9. Should city residents, workers and visitors be concerned?

10. For what reasons?

11. Did city council inform Chief of Police Nick Thompson as to why it is not "very supportive" of the department?

12. If not, why not; doesn't a 30-plus-year veteran officer and longtime police chief deserve to know council's concerns?

13. Has city council informed interim Police Chief Todd Whited as to why it is not "very supportive" of the department?

14. If not, why not?

15. Does city council have any obligations to the city residents, workers and visitors to explain this lack of support?

16. Is this lack of support for the police department a premeditated followup to the recently voted upon lack of support for the Hillsboro Fire Department?

17. Does city council have a similar lack of support for other city departments?

18. If so, when will the city residents, workers and visitors be advised of such lack of support?

19. When will city council have its own voice? (By the way, all members of council have an open invitation to express their respective concerns to the community via this medium.)

20. If city council chooses not to have its own voice, how much longer must city residents and taxpayers continue to fund city council and what purpose does this once august body now serve?

Editor's note: The questions in this column arose from statements made by the Hillsboro mayor to the Hillsboro Police Department. As of 9:28 a.m. Monday, Nov. 25, a digital audio file was emailed by a member of Hillsboro City Council to the public email of the new police chief at http://www.hillsboroohio.net. Such action may have made the document a public record under Ohio Revised Code 149.43. At the council member's request, The Highland County Press emailed the file at 8:50 a.m. Monday, Nov. 25. Shortly thereafter, another member of council listened to the audio at the newspaper office. Due to instances of profanity, the newspaper – at this time – has decided against posting the audio file to the website. A transcript has been made.

Rory Ryan is publisher of The Highland County Press.