RFP Staff
♦ City Council remains mum on the “mutual termination” of Ex City Manager Doug Paris because of a clause in his employment contract stating that no parties will make “disparaging comments or statements”. Questions also remain as to why City administrators who negotiated a severance package to Ex Public Information Officer Elaney Hasselmann, who resigned twelve hours after Paris’ “mutual termination”, will not release any rational for providing a severance package and other benefits beyond standard City policy. In fact, they will not comment. To whom does the current administrator report? Like Paris, it should be City Council.
North Carolina State statutes mandate that when a Council-Manager model is employed by the city that the Council will oversee the manager. Last May, when citizens expressed concerns about how Paris was making use of terminations in the city. Mayor Woodson stated that the Council did not have the “that authority or “the time” to oversee personnel matters. A video of this exchange appears below, with annotations on the NC state statute governing the council-manager form of government.
While council appears to be bound to a self-imposed “code of silence” by a contract they insist gags them when it comes to making “disparaging comments” about Paris – are they forbidden to state the facts? Pete Kennedy remarked that he heard nothing other than good about the City Management. Emails, linked below, received by the Mayor and City Council reveal otherwise. With such concerns expressed, why did Mayor Woodson permit Paris to pen his own glowing letter of recommendation for future employment endeavors?
Are the concerns expressed to City Council by the public and a retired employee considered to be “disparaging” remarks?
Is a description of wrongful behavior equivalent to a disparaging comment? If so, would revealing the damaging behavior of an abusive individual be the same as making a disparaging remark? Would that defense hold up in court for such an abuser?
Would Paris’ seemingly guilt-free contract employed by Council to excuse its silence hold up in court with state authorities? Would their silence hold up?
A local citizen expressed concern to the council about the actions of the City Manager in this email:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2E5Ew6OLdElWGZZZkt5QkFrcWs/edit?usp=sharing
A local CPA expressed disdain to both Councilmember Miller and Mayor Woodson over Paris’ treatment of City employees. See that email here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2E5Ew6OLdEleWNaeWNKem1CdEU/edit?usp=sharing
Public concern over a wrongful termination by Paris spurred a surprising response from Mayor Woodson:
Find the NC statute on the council-manager form of government here: http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/PDF/ByArticle/Chapter_160A/Article_7.pdf
