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The Open Letter: A Crisis of Conscience

In a move that has sent shockwaves through the halls of Galion’s municipal administration, former Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) Superintendent Patrick Hickman has broken his silence by releasing an Open Letter to the Citizens of Galion. This letter is the focal point of a developing crisis, revealing a stark conflict between administrative optics and the technical reality of the city’s infrastructure.

Hickman’s departure on April 6, 2026, was a calculated move to protect his professional integrity. As a Class III operator, he provided the mandatory notice required by his license to the Ohio EPA. While the city’s official records dryly note the exit as “insufficient,” internal correspondence reveals a frantic administrative scramble that began within hours of his departure.

The Retaliatory Record: Fact vs. Friction

The only negative marks in Patrick Hickman’s entire employment history with the City of Galion are the words “Ineligible for rehire” and “Insufficient notice given,” scrawled on his personnel file the very day he resigned.

Prior to April 6, 2026, his record was impeccable .

There are no disciplinary actions, no performance warnings, and no internal complaints.

Instead, the “receipts” show a veteran professional who was rewarded for his expertise with a 4% merit raise authorized just months ago in December 2025.

 

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE CITIZENS OF GALION: THE TRUTH ABOUT OUR INFRASTRUCTURE

From: Patrick Hickman, Former WWTP Superintendent

“The failures we see today are the result of administrative decisions that chose to ignore the expertise of the people actually running the plants… I will not lose my professional license to save face for an administration that refuses to even read the permits they are legally bound to follow.”

A Career Built on Water

Mr. Hickman did not come to Galion as a novice. He entered the position as a seasoned expert with over 30 years of experience. His professional journey includes a 20-year tenure as the Superintendent for the Village of Plain City and a recent role as an Inflow & Infiltration Supervisor for the City of Ontario.

Approaching the sunset of a decorated career, Hickman possesses the high-level Class III Wastewater (WW3-1007629-03) and Class I Water Supply (WS1-1007629-90) certifications that are the lifeblood of municipal compliance .

“We Have the Receipts”

While the city may wish to frame this as a simple personnel matter, Marionwatch.com Investigates has secured the evidence that validates Hickman’s most damning allegations:

• Infrastructure Abuse: Hickman alleges that the deliberate discharge of excessive lime and ferric chloride destroyed city pumps and led to the total failure of the WWTP digester.
• The Staffing Crisis: While permits require a staff of eight, the city was operating with only four—pushing licensed professionals to a breaking point.
• Administrative Overreach: The supervision of water and sewer mains has been handed to the Street Department rather than the licensed professionals required by law.
• The Fiscal Waste: Taxpayer dollars are maintaining a private owner’s lift station while the public system crumbles under a 65% water loss revenue deficit.

City of Galion Records RE: Patrick Hickman:

The Tuesday Reckoning

Patrick Hickman makes it clear: the licensed operators are not to blame—the administration is. On Tuesday, Marionwatch.com will begin a line-by-line verification of the hard evidence. We will be looking closer at the allegations, the specific internal violations of Ordinance 925.34, and the mounting emergency bonds that you, the taxpayer, are now expected to fund.

Stay tuned to Marionwatch.com as we dive deeper into the Galion Infrastructure Files this Tuesday.