Iron River City Council members listen to public comments about City Manager David Thayer’s decision to fire Police Chief Laura Frizzo in December. Pictured, from left, are council member Jere Fritsche, Mayor Terry Tarsi, Thayer and council member Tricia Mercier. (Nikki Younk/Daily News photo)

IRON RIVER — The Iron River City Council rated City Manager David Thayer as “outstanding” in his evaluation Wednesday, despite numerous calls from the public to fire him for the controversy surrounding the termination of former Iron River Police Chief Laura Frizzo.

In addition, the council put to rest any possibility of Frizzo’s return, saying in a press release: “Under no circumstances would the council support reinstatement of Ms. Frizzo in her former position.”

Thayer fired Frizzo in December, citing her management style and professional standards and practices as irreconcilable with his own.

Frizzo and her attorney Roy Polich have claimed Thayer was confrontational, blocked Frizzo’s return to work after a medical leave and has a history of animosity toward women and the police. Thayer has accused Frizzo of not treating citizens with respect.

Council members rated Thayer in 10 different categories on a scale of 1 to 10, according to the press release, with each member giving Thayer an average score of 82.6. When all five council members’ ratings were added, Thayer had a 413 cumulative score of a possible 500 points.

Evaluations were completed ahead of Wednesday’s meeting, but Thayer requested a closed session to go into more detail about complaints brought against him and his handling of the Frizzo situation. Closed meetings are permitted for personnel matters when there are charges or complaints against the employee or if the employee requests it, City Attorney Mark Tousignant said.

After more than an hour of discussion, the council reopened the meeting to the public to read and distribute the press release.

“David had a very difficult decision to make and he made the right decision,” Mayor Terry Tarsi said in reference to Frizzo’s termination. “The council unanimously supported his action. Although we wished the process could have been shorter and with less drama, problems had surfaced and needed to be resolved.”

“Mr. Thayer had given us a detailed overview of his analysis of the chief’s performance with specific examples of how his expectations were not being met,” Tarsi continued. “He asked us to be patient as he worked through a process to determine whether Ms. Frizzo could be rehabilitated and continue in her capacity. As time passed, it became clear that we needed to change chiefs.”

Tarsi added he remembered when a former police chief used to walk up and down the main street, going into businesses and interacting positively with the community “like Andy Griffith.”

“That’s what I’m looking for in a chief,” he said.

Thayer said he’s seeking someone who has respect for the public in his ongoing search for a new police chief.

But some residents Wednesday argued Iron River already had that type of chief in Frizzo.

Others brought up Thayer’s past — including a February 2010 arrest on 24 misdemeanor counts that ended in a 2011 conviction for violating a state campaign finance law — and asked if and how the council conducted a background check on him.

Some questioned why the council brought in an outsider such as Thayer for the city manager position when it could have hired local.

Yet other residents spoke out in favor of Thayer, thanking him for hiring interim police chief Roy D’Antonio.

After the meeting, Thayer said he felt good about the council’s evaluation and wants to keep the city moving forward.