EAST LANSING The Metropolis of East Lansing will open an investigation into an nameless grievance of unethical conduct and violations of the town constitution by Mayor Ron Bacon and different metropolis council members, officers mentioned in an announcement launched on Monday.
“…Now we have obtained an nameless letter, alleged to have been written by a metropolis worker, alleging alleged misconduct by metropolis workers and alleging that metropolis bylaws could have been violated by metropolis council members” , board members mentioned in an announcement. “Whereas we now have no cause to imagine these allegations are correct, we imagine now could be an opportune time to pursue a clear, exterior, third-party assessment of those allegations in a confidential method for present and former workers as we proceed our work to modernize our East Lansing Metropolis Authorities”.
An “nameless public servant” grievance delivered to Appearing Human Sources Director Emily Kenney and Appearing Metropolis Clerk Marie Wicks exposes quite a few points, together with the alleged unethical conduct of Bacon and Elaine Hardy, the director of the town for variety, fairness and inclusion. The letter says the actions of the mayor, council and Hardy have performed a key position within the many resignations which have occurred within the metropolis in current months since former Metropolis Supervisor George Lahanas was fired.
Messages in search of remark had been left Tuesday morning with interim Metropolis Supervisor Randy Talifarro, Hardy and Troy-based Metropolis Lawyer Anthony Chubb of Giarmarco, Mullins and Horton Regulation.
Bacon mentioned Tuesday he was involved about some issues within the grievance however declined to speak in regards to the particular allegations.
At the very least 10 division heads or assistant division heads who’ve stop their jobs within the metropolis in current months, together with former metropolis supervisor George Lahanas, who was pressured out by the council and obtained a severance bundle price greater than $383,000.
“Elaine and Mayor Bacon, in addition to different Council members, seem to have longstanding friendships, which is okay in precept,” mentioned the letter’s writer. “Nevertheless, the impression for the town employees is that the friendships are getting used as a false pretext for the mayor to disregard the bylaws and attempt to get across the metropolis supervisor to attempt to affect the choices of the employees within the metropolis. This conduct of the mayor violates the town bylaws and has been to the detriment of employees and the town.”
Within the assertion from Bacon, appearing mayor Jessy Gregg and council members George Brookover, Dana Watson and Noel Garcia Jr., officers mentioned Chubb, whose hiring the letter writer criticized, will oversee the investigation of a 3rd social gathering and can present the Board with a standing replace “roughly 90 days after initiation, if a closing report has not been accomplished by that point.”
A decision authorizing the interim metropolis supervisor to enter into an settlement to carry J. Randall Secontine at a price of $295 an hour, to not exceed $30,000, seems on the council’s agenda for a particular assembly of the Tuesday and a finances seminar.
Council members mentioned the period of the investigation may very well be prolonged, however a closing report can be shared with the general public “as overtly as potential” as soon as accomplished. The board stopped in need of saying the report can be made public.
“To make sure that the assessment shouldn’t be affected or impeded in any means, we won’t supply additional public remark earlier than the assessment is accomplished and evaluated. We won’t reply to all entries as we intend to respect the integrity of the assessment,” the assertion learn.
The writer of the letter accuses Bacon of “clear overreach” in his actions “made potential by the complicit acceptance and help of Board members Watson and Gregg”.
A message in search of remark was left with Gregg on Tuesday morning. A quantity for Watson was not instantly obtainable.
The writer of the letter complains that the board fired Lahanas, who was making about $167,000 a yr and triggered a severance deal “price almost $383,000,” in addition to changing him with a “former fireplace chief fireplace retired, with no expertise as a Metropolis Supervisor, at an annual wage of $180,000.”
“…a seasoned, skilled skilled was fired with little clarification as to why and changed with somebody much less skilled paying him extra for doing the identical job much less effectively,” they wrote.
A remark in search of message was left for Lahanas.
As one other instance of mismanagement, the author mentioned that firing longtime legal professional Tom Yeadon and changing him with two hourly price regulation corporations, and paying the prosecution legal professional a flat price for authorized work, price the town greater than double what was beforehand paid. authorized work. They referred to as the change politically motivated.
The author focused Hardy for his alleged capability to affect the actions of the board.
“It’s the view of many who a lot of the private strife inside Metropolis might be attributed to willful conduct on the a part of Elaine Hardy,” they wrote. “It isn’t unusual for the DEI director to talk overtly to others about her common communications with the mayor and council in metropolis govt steering committee conferences or in face-to-face interactions with different employees. Employees additionally reported seeing her ship messages to the mayor immediately whereas attending govt employees conferences. This was typically the case when discussing delicate matters with the previous Metropolis Supervisor and different senior workers.”
The author additional blames Hardy for at the least one resignation.
“One of many current executive-level resignations was believed to be immediately associated to the director receiving a menace from Elaine that was delivered by means of a member of his personal employees,” they wrote.
The author claimed that Hardy made a veiled reference in a Microsoft Groups assembly suggesting that an unnamed individual bought too near Lahanas and will find yourself getting fired like him.
Lastly, the author mentioned that based mostly on a plan supplied by board members, it seems the board is rewarding an nameless “director” who seems to have enter with board members.
“This plan appeared, to those that had been watching, to overtly assign extra employees, extra funding, and extra authority to a director who overtly serves as a conduit for a selected phase of the Council’s will in metropolis operations in contradiction to the Metropolis Constitution “, they wrote.
The writer of the letter concludes by calling for an investigation.
“I request that this social gathering be a company skilled in conducting inside investigations and accustomed to Michigan state regulation governing municipal our bodies. If some or the entire considerations expressed on this grievance are substantiated, we ask this third social gathering a part of additionally making suggestions on steps that may be taken to mitigate and deal with the problems at hand,” they wrote.
Board members mentioned they’d undertake the investigation, however did so hesitantly.
“We’re enterprise this assessment with circumspection as a result of no authorities, at any stage, can do its job if third-party critiques are performed on the premise of each nameless grievance,” the council members mentioned within the assertion.
The resignations affected many departments of the town.
Town council voted to fireside Lahanas in January. He shortly discovered a brand new job as metropolis supervisor in Northville.
In early April, East Lansing Police Deputy Chief Chad Connelly, Appearing Director of Human Sources Ben Dawson and Appearing Director of Planning, Building and Improvement Peter Menser tendered their resignations.
Metropolis Clerk Jennifer Shuster and Deputy Clerk Kathryn Gardner left on Feb. 10 and Feb. 3, respectively. Shuster now works for the Michigan Senate and Gardner left for a job at Michigan State College.
Human Sources Director Shelli Neumann departed on Oct. 23, 2022, in accordance with metropolis spokesperson Mikell Frey, leaving Dawson within the position till she resigns.
Planning, Building and Improvement Division director and assistant metropolis supervisor Tom Fehrenbach stepped down in January for a brand new place; Senior planner Darcy Schmitt and group and financial improvement administrator Adam Cummins additionally resigned in January.
