RFP Staff
♦ Evident in emails the RFP obtained from public information requests via North Carolina General Statute 132, Ex-City Manager Doug Paris’s behavior involved launching almost daily propaganda campaigns and media assaults on the County, who he painted as villains thwarting the City at each turn. Paris obsessively sent almost daily emails to the city’s “friends” and to City Council to maintain the County’s image as the City’s “progress thwarting” nemesis. At times public information officer Elaney Hasselmann assisted.
As their one employee to oversee, was Paris was doing the bidding of the City Council? They received his almost daily efforts to deride “the County”.
RFP staff determined that Paris and Hasselmann spent an inordinate amount of time on emails attempting to impair the city-county relationship and create a tug-of-war between them. An ethical City Manager would better use his time to uplift the quality of life of residents in a city where crime and gang cross-fires became a serious danger. Instead, Paris fixated on creating an image for the city, working to poison working relationships with “the County”, and furthering community improvements such as gentrification and beautification that failed to address real neighborhood needs such as creating opportunities for young people and ensuring safe living conditions for citizens.
In the May 2014 email chain below, written a month before his “mutual termination”, Doug Paris coaxed Mayor Paul Woodson into meeting with all 14 candidates for Rowan County Commission and soliciting a promise to “partner with” the City.
Have the candidates promised to partner with one municipality in the county? In the email chain, Paris violates tenet 7 of his city manager code of ethics (engaging in political maneuvers) and again wastes time building adversarial relations between Salisbury and Rowan County.
From: Myra Heard [mailto:Mhear@salisburync.gov] Sent: Tuesday, May 13, 2014 10:09 PM To: Doug Paris Subject: Re: Legislative Meetings
Do I need to make any arrangements/appointments in Raleigh? Sent from my iPad
On May 13, 2014, at 9:50 PM, “Doug Paris” <dpari@salisburync.gov> wrote:
Doug Paris
City Manager
City of Salisbury, NC
704-239-2038 (cell)
Begin forwarded message:
From: Paul Woodson <pwood@salisburync.gov>
Date: May 13, 2014, 9:44:20 PM EDT
To: Doug Paris <dpari@salisburync.gov>
Subject: Re: Legislative Meetings
Sounds good Wed is the only day to go to Raleigh next week. I have alot of community commitments .
Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE DROID
Doug Paris <dpari@salisburync.gov> wrote:
Mayor, Would you agree with doing the following? If so I can have Myra coordinate.
1. Meet at city hall with all of the county commission candidates as a group and share with them as the Mayor that you would request they partner with the city if elected and not do things that hurt us. Getting their commitment now I believe is critical and they would want to meet with you.
2. Go with me and our lobbyist to Raleigh one day next week and meet with Carl, Harry, Andrew as a group and ask them not to run any bills in the short session to hurt us. Ask them for a breather. I also think this will work. Any thoughts?
Doug Paris
City Manager
City of Salisbury, NC
www.salisburync.gov/citymanager
704-239-2038 (cell)
