In his 125-page report, Civil Service Commissioner Paul Stein made some blistering statements about the city's case and about Mayor William Manzi himself. Stein's report, on the other hand, often describes Joseph Solomon as "credible" and "truthful."
Here is a look at how Stein compared Solomon and Manzi:
On Mayor William Manzi: "Mayor Manzi is a man of commanding stature, nuanced, loquacious and colorful speaking skills, and a mildly brusque demeanor, an acumen that certainly is consistent with survival in the 'robust' political environment of Methuen." Also, he wrote that Manzi demonstrates "skill at verbal gymnastics."
On Joseph Solomon's appearance: "He is a polite, highly focused and passionate man of medium height and build. He carries much pride about his career, his law enforcement colleagues, and his record of service with Methuen. ... Overall, his responsiveness to questions on direct and cross-examination and by this Commissioner, and his demeanor, as witness and observer, appeared sincere and truthful. ... Despite the pressure of his career on the line, he was calm, courteous and respectful. He never displayed animus against those who opposed him or criticized him during the hearings, including during some tough cross-examination."
On Solomon's reaction to finding several on-duty officers watching a football game instead of being on the streets: "I agree that Chief Solomon did not conduct himself at all times on the night in question with the composure and decorum expected of a superior officer, and especially a chief of police."
On Manzi's citing Solomon for his behavior that night: "Based on credible testimony from several witnesses who described Mayor Manzi's own profanity-laced, innuendo style of expression on far less provocation, for him to charge Chief Solomon with losing his cool upon discovering a potentially serious neglect of duty, seems akin to the pot calling the kettle black."
On Manzi's performance as Solomon's boss: "I have no doubt that Mayor Manzi's abrupt decision to shift from supporter to adversary was primarily, if not exclusively, a political judgment call made without regard to any objective reassessment of Chief Solomon's ability to continue to serve as police chief ... Mayor Manzi's personal ambition and politically biased state-of-mind were a significant and proximate cause that improperly contributed to his decision to put Chief Solomon on administrative leave and, later, to discharge him."
On Solomon's performance as chief: "For the most part, Chief Solomon did largely carry out his core duties as police chief in an exemplary fashion, for which he has been given recognition by his peers, both locally and nationally. Based on my assessment of him during the hearings, however, he knows that, in some areas, he can, and must do better. While I found that he, alone, is not responsible for what went awry in Methuen, his future as commander of its municipal police force depends on how seriously he recognizes the need to work on the weaknesses in some of his relational skills, which can lead to the kind of problems that produced the backlash against him in this case."
