The Detroit times., 1917-10-24
SECRETARY GILMARTIN
ISSUSPENDED BY WATER
BOARD;TO GET HEARING
Action Is Result of AL
legged Story To
Grand Jury

Hugo A. Cilmartin. secretary u
tho water commission. was suspend
I'd for 10 DAYS. Tuesday afternoon
ON Monday ne will be given an or.
portunity 10 appear before the board
and show cause Why he should not
be- permanently discharged Wed
nesday morning MN Gilmarfin was
not AZ his desk in the water board
once, and Harry 8 Starkel. pur
chasing agent was acting a. score.
tary.
The suspension OF Mr Giluartn
i7 directly dua TO the charge 'let ne
went before Judge Connolly. sitting
as a grand Jury. and gave a Version
of water boari affairs which reflect
I'd upon Robe,r Oakman, prs id mt
NJ tho board That the Comm sion
crs mean the suspension 20 b. per
manent o. yated by a member OF
tho board, who says. however. that
under civil service rules ihe dis
charged employe is entitled 10 hi.
cay in court-fo avoid any trouble
WITH tho civn service commission
the resolution suspending G. martin
has set Monday afternoon AZ
o'clock as tho lime when ne may be
heard iu his oan defense
Tho charge against Gilmartin
were preferred by President Oak
man After the charges were read
10 tho board and discussed Alexander
Dow offered The resolution lSpend
Ing the secretary and stipulatinE that
he would BE- heard b. The board next
Mondav The resolution also gave
Gilmartin access 20 books and roc.
ords of tho commission so no could
prepare his defense. but % was sfip-
ulated that he should examine these
books under the supervision of tho
acting secretary or some other Off
cor of the board
The charges preferred by Commits
sioner Oakman declare thar Gilman.
tin has proven himself incompetent
and inefficient and that ho has re.
fused and neglected 10 perform The
duties OF his Iffce. He Is pi-o &C
cused % having used his office 10
further his own private and political
ambitions and power II Is alleged
that one one occasion he ordered
subordinate employee of The depart
Eumartu AZ au election and 10 iie 90
iis immediate chief 10 explain his
absence. 80 being declared tha Gil
martin told tho employe 20 sat that
ho was sick He is also accused ~
having used the property ~ The board
for his own private uses. II stipu
lated thar he helped himself 10 the
gasoline owned by the cts Tor HIS
private automobile and that ho used
water department employees to clean
and repair Die automobile Or is
charged 700 bar be had water de
partment employees working about
bis own home az n be employed
them
Those. however. arc not tte chief
charges upon which his dismissal
is based Aner reclting yerious
ways In which Gilmartin is alleged
90 have hown himself inefficient
and incompetent Mr. Oakman de
clares that be has been guilty of
obrrIcun- the work OF th' board,
that DO wilully and malciously
made false charges againsi the
head az departments and the presi
dent of 'he board and that he treat
Cd them with disrespect and con
tempt He charged Nth vii
fully and mallciously slsndering The
president and has attempted 20 on
tor cons fpiracy with Others for tho
purpose ~ placing the president In
difrepute
He did this. ~ is charged. by stat
ing. presumably before the erand
jury
THAT the president has diverted
90 his own use carload of pipe be
longing 10 the board by falsely
stating that the president was ~
dcbted 20 the board IN the amount
of $1,000. by falsely stating that tho
president had installed 4 meter A.
Otsego-avc and the city limits for
his private gain and FOR the pur
pose OF defraudlng the water board
II is also charged that Gumartin
has usurped the powers OF the com
mlssiOncrs