Morrisville Police Chief McClay Fired While On Vacation

MORRISVILLE, PA —George McClay is sitting on a beach with his wife in Mexico, taking the vacation that his family plans each November.

But when McClay returns from his trip, he will no longer be the police chief of Morrisville.

At a special Borough Council meeting on Monday, the borough relieved McClay of his duties, taking disciplinary action it had considered when it had authorized a Loudermill notice against the chief.

"I wasn't there. I'm on vacation. I asked Borough Council to hold off until next week," said McClay, who talked to Patch Tuesday afternoon from Mexico. "This is one of the most unethical things I've ever seen."

The vote was 6-2 in favor of the termination during the special meeting in which the council did not provide a reason why it was firing McClay, who had served as Morrisville's police chief for a decade.

Councilwoman Nancy Sherlock, who voted against the termination, could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

A Loudermill notice is a form of disciplinary action in which public-sector employers may give notice to employees of their intent to suspend, demote, or terminate them.

The employee is entitled to a hearing before facing disciplinary action.

McClay said the borough offered him a 30-day suspension which he believed was "outrageous." McClay said he countered with a five-day suspension but that was not decided upon by the council.

"The punishment doesn't match up," he said. "I'm really disappointed."

McClay has served 10 years as chief and a prior 28 years working in the Philadelphia Police Department.

He said this was the first punishment he ever received during his career.

McClay said he also never spoke to any of the council members about the situation.

"How do you terminate someone without having some kind of intervention?" McClay stated.

He said there is an appeals process that he may pursue, which he said takes time. He also said a new mayor will be appointed before the end of the month and four new council members are expected to join the board in January.

But whether that changes McClay's fortunes is unknown.

"I'm terminated," he said. "I just hope this doesn't destroy the police department or the confidence people have in the police department. The council has never been good to the police department. That has always been one of my biggest fights with them."