Celina Mayor, Council President and Mercer County Republican Chairman Address Councilman’s OVI Case

Celina Mayor Jeff Hazel says city officials have limited authority to take action against an elected council member following the September arrest of First Ward Councilman Steve Schulte on an operating a vehicle while impaired charge. Mercer County Republican Chairman Bob Hibner said city and party officials have discussed the case and hope for a quick resolution.

Hazel, Hibner and Celina City Council President Jason King spoke with WCSM Radio on Wednesday after a resident questioned the city’s response to the arrest during Monday’s council meeting.

Hazel said he understood that Schulte’s attorney had advised him to wait until his next court appearance in December before taking any action.

“He certainly, I know, feels bad about the negative publicity that has occurred,” Hazel said. “But at this point, we don’t know anything else until he gets to court.”

Schulte was arrested September 27 following a traffic stop by Celina police. According to the police report, Schulte was accused of operating a vehicle while impaired and refused a breath test after his arrest. Police also cited him for failure to maintain his lane.

King said he briefly interrupted the resident’s remarks Monday because he was concerned they could turn into a personal attack. He said he allowed the resident to finish after reminding him about the standards for public comment. King said he has applied those same standards throughout his 17 years in office.

King told the resident that he believes the criminal case is a matter for the courts. Hazel made a similar point, saying Celina operates under Ohio’s statutory form of municipal government and has no local recall procedure. Hazel said the executive, legislative and judicial branches have separate responsibilities, which limits his authority to act in a matter involving an elected council member.

“The people elect representatives to represent them,” Hazel said, adding that voters can choose a different representative at the polls.

King said he supports the Celina Police Department and the officer involved in the stop. He said he spoke with the assistant police chief to thank the department for doing its job regardless of who was involved. King also said he checked in with Schulte during a phone call about council business. According to King, Schulte said his attorney had advised him against commenting and that he had missed two council meetings because of a planned vacation.

Hibner described the situation as disappointing and said he had discussed it with Hazel, King and other council members. He said both the alleged offense and comments Schulte allegedly made after his arrest raised concerns among city officials and members of the Mercer County Republican Central Committee.

“We realize that people are innocent until proven guilty,” Hibner said. He added that he hopes Schulte “will make the right decision as the court proceedings proceed.”

Schulte is serving a four-year term representing Celina’s First Ward. No decision about his future on council was announced during the interviews.

Note-WCSM has reached out to Steve Schulte.