The city manager in Kalamazoo publicly apologized after acknowledging that the public safety chief didn’t retire but was fired.
City Manager Jim Ritsema says disclosures of Karianne Thomas’ departure in September didn’t tell the whole story.
Ritsema says he didn’t want to harm Thomas’ reputation. She was ousted after much criticism about how police handled protests related to racial injustice.
Ritsema says he didn’t have cause to fire Thomas so she was dismissed without cause. Thomas received severance pay of $150,000.
Despite the dismissal, Thomas was eligible for full retirement after serving 27 years with the public safety department.
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