City council meeting of 5/6/25
While watching last Tuesday’s City Council meeting, I made some notes; some made me angry, and I almost cried in others. But I must begin by quoting my friend Richard Russell after reading my column last week:
“I already knew about three things in life that the average person should not see: 1) making hotdogs and sausages, 2) the gore of war, and 3) backroom politics. Having seen all three at various points in my life; 3) is the most disgusting and repulsive and your comments about being on that committee further confirmed it”.
Russell also made some comments about putting the positions of Police Chief, Fire Chief, and Chief Administrative and Finance Officer (CAFO), on hold until the November election votes are certified and then let the next mayor, whoever it is, have his input as to who they would like for the next 4 years.
In the midst of what the city is going through, I completely agree with him because we’ll get much-needed mental relaxation.
Also to be posted is the Director of Human Resources position because it has not been done yet since September, when the former director got fired. I know Caryl García wants to stay there but she has none of the qualifications for it. Yes, she’s an attorney who used to work in the legal department, but that doesn’t make her knowledgeable in dealing with unions in negotiations and contracts, or anything related to human resources.
Mayor Brian DePeña gave her a 90-day contract while he was supposed to post the job and get a replacement. Then, the city council refused to extend it for another 90 days. After Attorney Kevin Foley resigned his position as First Assistant City Attorney, I thought she would go back there because it would mean a promotion and more money.
That position was posted right away but she was not interested. She wants personnel.
You may remember (and you can look it up in recent editions of Rumbo) and two ladies went before the council for a permanent appointment for jobs they had been doing for a year or more. Their coworkers and supervisors spoke on their behalf yet, what councilors did to them was an embarrassment.
They were belittled; they were called liars to the point of making one of them cry on television. Council members refused to accept credentials from the Dominican Republic schools, while insisting they didn’t have the requirements for the position they worked at.
If they are concocting something to favor Caryl García as personnel director, this will be one more scandal of how this city runs. Qualifications don’t count. It’s who you know.
City Council follows the law?
Every day we learn something!
Apparently, our city council is in on a sort of “on-the-job-training”. I always said that none of them has ever read the City Charter. After the turmoil with the committee selecting the new police chief, they read it and found that under Chapter 3.7 states:
Appointments. The mayor shall submit to the city council, unless otherwise provided, the names of all persons he desires to appoint as a department head or director of any city agency. The city council shall refer all such candidates to the standing committee on personnel and administration which shall investigate all such candidates for confirmation and make a report with recommendations to the full city council not less than seven nor more than twenty-one days following such referral. A nomination of the mayor shall be confirmed by a majority vote of the council. The provision of Section 3.8(c) shall not apply. If the city council has taken no action, said appointments shall become effective on the thirtieth day following the date the name has been received by the city council.
There’s total silence about what they are doing and I fear they are doing none of the above. If they were going to do a background check, it probably is the State Police that should do that. But why come up with that excuse now? Nobody reminded them of that process when Romero or Vasque were selected as police chiefs?
Something tells me that they want the 30 days to expire.
But, there’s hope, in case the councilors didn’t read further on the City Charter:
4.5 Removal of Officials. The mayor may remove any person appointed under Section 4.3 subject to the provisions of Section 3.7(b) of this Charter.
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