By Parker Leavitt
The Arizona Republic
The Gilbert water manager who was fired last fall amid a controversial shutdown of the town’s fluoridation system will likely have his job back after a hearing officer on Tuesday declared his dismissal “arbitrary and capricious.”
Chris Ochs was terminated in September after upper management discovered voter-mandated fluoridation had been halted at the town’s North Water Treatment Plant for more than a year. Ochs said he shut off the system in July 2011 because of safety concerns brought on by visible corrosion and a white powder apparently being spewed by the main pump.
Prolonged exposure to hydrofluoric acid, a hazardous chemical added to drinking water to help fight tooth decay, can cause bone changes, ulcers, shock, coma and death, according to chemical distributor ClearTech Industries.
Ochs reported the problems to his superior, Public Works Director Lonnie Frost, but could not gain traction in getting the system repaired and back online, documents show.
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Gilbert leaders meet with supervisors http://www.azcentral.com/community/gilbert/articles/20130206gilbert-leaders-meet-with-maricopa-county-supervisors.html
If you’d like to discuss employment or health care law, contact David Weissman, director of the Rose Law Group Employment Law and Managed Health Care Law Practice, dweissman@roselawgroup.com
