MANTUA, OH - The village of Mantua will soon be looking for its next police chief after an overnight council hearing that lasted 12 hours ended with the firing of the current police chief, who was accused of violating village policy.
At the center of the hearing was Mantua Police Chief Joe Urso, who is accused of violating policy by directing and supervising Officer Miranda Brothers, with whom he is allegedly in a romantic relationship, NEWS 5 Cleveland reported.
"In any professional work environment, a supervisor-subordinate relationship should be a professional relationship. It just lends to favoritism, special treatment, unfair treatment," said David Sluka, a village councilman. During the hearing, Sluka listened as both the mayor and a former officer brought forward multiple accusations, including claims of nepotism and favoritism.
Documents allegedly show that Mayor Tammy Meyer gave Urso multiple verbal and written warnings over the past two years, instructing him to stop supervising Brothers. At one point, the mayor even took over the responsibility herself. But, Urso allegedly still intervened.
"They [the previous mayor and current mayor] were trying to change the reporting structure to accommodate the relationship, rather than condemn it or move somebody around. They tried to work around the best they could, and going to the record, the chief still didn't comply," Sluka said.
While village policy doesn't prohibit romantic relationships between employees, it does prohibit supervising someone you're romantically involved with. "Well, there were those who were in a sergeant role, who were asked to manage the female officers, and we heard from some of them that the chief would intervene and, in some cases, kind of override decisions they made," said Sluka.
Despite those roles, council members found that Urso continued to oversee Brothers' schedule, leave requests, and disciplinary matters. At the end of the 12-hour meeting that went until 6 a.m., the council voted 5-1 to fire Urso.
"The working relationship he committed to was inappropriate, the way that he handled that was inappropriate, unprofessional, the environment that was created as a result of that, many felt very uncomfortable," Sluka added.
Not everyone at the meeting agreed. Some members of the public spoke in support of Urso during the hearing. "I have no hesitation in standing behind Chief Urso and can confidently say he is an asset to this village," said one commenter. Still, Sluka believes the council made the right call.
"I just want it to be a department of integrity, more than anything else," he said. During the meeting, Urso and Brothers both spoke and denied the claims made against them.
Urso has led the department since 2017. He was placed on paid administrative leave earlier this month. Brothers remains employed by the department. In Urso's absence, Hiram Police Chief James Clemens is now overseeing Mantua's police operations.
At the center of the hearing was Mantua Police Chief Joe Urso, who is accused of violating policy by directing and supervising Officer Miranda Brothers, with whom he is allegedly in a romantic relationship, NEWS 5 Cleveland reported.
"In any professional work environment, a supervisor-subordinate relationship should be a professional relationship. It just lends to favoritism, special treatment, unfair treatment," said David Sluka, a village councilman. During the hearing, Sluka listened as both the mayor and a former officer brought forward multiple accusations, including claims of nepotism and favoritism.
Documents allegedly show that Mayor Tammy Meyer gave Urso multiple verbal and written warnings over the past two years, instructing him to stop supervising Brothers. At one point, the mayor even took over the responsibility herself. But, Urso allegedly still intervened.
"They [the previous mayor and current mayor] were trying to change the reporting structure to accommodate the relationship, rather than condemn it or move somebody around. They tried to work around the best they could, and going to the record, the chief still didn't comply," Sluka said.
While village policy doesn't prohibit romantic relationships between employees, it does prohibit supervising someone you're romantically involved with. "Well, there were those who were in a sergeant role, who were asked to manage the female officers, and we heard from some of them that the chief would intervene and, in some cases, kind of override decisions they made," said Sluka.
Despite those roles, council members found that Urso continued to oversee Brothers' schedule, leave requests, and disciplinary matters. At the end of the 12-hour meeting that went until 6 a.m., the council voted 5-1 to fire Urso.
"The working relationship he committed to was inappropriate, the way that he handled that was inappropriate, unprofessional, the environment that was created as a result of that, many felt very uncomfortable," Sluka added.
Not everyone at the meeting agreed. Some members of the public spoke in support of Urso during the hearing. "I have no hesitation in standing behind Chief Urso and can confidently say he is an asset to this village," said one commenter. Still, Sluka believes the council made the right call.
"I just want it to be a department of integrity, more than anything else," he said. During the meeting, Urso and Brothers both spoke and denied the claims made against them.
Urso has led the department since 2017. He was placed on paid administrative leave earlier this month. Brothers remains employed by the department. In Urso's absence, Hiram Police Chief James Clemens is now overseeing Mantua's police operations.
For corrections or revisions, click here.
The opinions reflected in this article are not necessarily the opinions of LET
Comments
2025-10-26T17:54-0400 | Comment by: James
Yep! Another criminal out arresting people who are probably better than he is!
2025-10-26T22:29-0400 | Comment by: Melvin
Another case of work place romance gone wrong,