With so much good happening in our city, I do have to start this month by addressing a serious matter: the termination of Lance Nosse from the position of Police Chief. In mid-April, after serious allegations of misconduct were brought to my attention by employees of the City and the Kirtland Police Department, I immediately asked that our Law Department have these matters investigated. Unfortunately, over the next two months, that process of discovery validated those concerns as well as other facts that ultimately led to my request for City Council to confirm my removal of Mr. Nosse from employment with the City. On Tuesday, August 3rd, City Council agreed and voted to remove Mr. Nosse as Chief of Police. As our thoughts and prayers continue for Mr. Nosse and his family, we now have the responsibility to move our Police Department and city forward.

I appreciate the good men and women of our Police Department and their exemplary performance during these challenging times. Despite the extreme circumstances, they rallied together to ensure that the safety of our community remains paramount. For them I am grateful.

Who the Chief is matters, and we will begin a deliberate process to ensure that the next Police Chief has the necessary qualities to lead the Kirtland Police Department and will make our city proud. With the support of City Council President Rich Lowery and Fire Chief Tony Hutton, I will be asking several members of the community to assist in the final selection. We will get this right.

As a city, we have much to celebrate. This weekend brings the return of the Kirtland Kiwanis Strawberry Festival and parade and I look forward to seeing our community once again bask in this great tradition.

My continued thanks to Jane Carle, the Friends of the Kirtland Library, and our City employees, businesses, and churches for a great summer of gazebo concerts and community. The last concert of the summer will feature the Bob Wick Duo on August 18th and will spotlight the beauty of Kirtland as we welcome Lake Metroparks and Holden Arboretum.

As you traverse around town, please take note of the exceptional road work on Billings, Wisner and Springer. Using a recycling process, contractors continue to perform the first phases of construction, including drainage and base repair. After completion of the aforementioned streets, Beechwood and Oakwood will receive a more traditional application of milling and repaving.

This summer’s 2.2 million dollars of engineered road work was made possible by capitalizing on the low interest bond market and committing savings generated from 2020’s fiscal prudency, including outsourcing dispatch to pay off the issued debt. We will continue to work hard to ensure our residents’ tax dollars are spent wisely and consider ways to expand revenue so that we can continue paving roads, fixing equipment, and maintaining our municipal buildings.

Last but not least, the Service Department is doing a great job excavating and preparing three Pickleball courts at our Community and Senior Center. Our City is excited for our seniors and residents to enjoy this great outdoor activity for years to come.

Thank you,

Kevin Potter, Mayor