Council Majority Rejects Mapp Initiatives

A City Council majority handed Mayor-elect Adrian Mapp his first setback Tuesday by rejecting key legislation for his new administration.

Mapp wanted a chief of staff in City Hall once his four-year term starts on Jan. 1, but William Reid, Vera Greaves, Tracey Brown and Council President Bridget Rivers voted "no" Tuesday to establishing the title. He also wants to increase the salary for chief financial officer, a statutory post for which the city has failed to attract applicants even with a prior increase from $114,000 to $125,000. The same four voted "no" on an increase to $155,000. After the vote, Mapp said he would put a statement on the record, to which Brown retorted, "So what?" Clarification: Rev. Tracey Brown says she said, "Me too."

Defeated in 2009 by Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs, Mapp turned the tables on her in the June primary this year and went on to defeat three challengers in the November general election. He and his supporters took offense at the incumbent's recent promotion of seven sergeants to lieutenant, which Councilman Cory Storch called an "end-of-term lame duck favor" and "the most irregular move I have seen" in 10 years' service.

Storch made the comments Tuesday as the council was asked to approve budget transfers including $131,091 for the Police Division. After prolonged discussion and many twists and turns, the upshot was passage of just $39,000 for the Recreation Division and rejection of all else in the $1.1 million transfer request.

Among arguments against the promotions, Councilwoman Rebecca Williams said there was no certification of funds for the lieutenants from the city's part-time CFO, the list was never certified by the state Civil Service Commission and promotions  were supposed to take place in the new administration.

Brown and Rivers objected to Mapp's characterization of their "no" votes as some sort of retribution.

 Storch said he voted for Robinson-Briggs' cabinet nominees.

"I voted for every single one of them," Storch said. "Mayor Mapp deserves his team."

Mapp also said he had voted for Robinson-Briggs' cabinet choices after the 2009 defeat. Now, he said, he is saddened by pressure being put on him to have people he did not want in his cabinet
.
"The people have given me the mandate to rule, but I am getting a tremendous amount of pressure to do what others want me to do," he said.

As for those promoted to lieutenant, Corporation Counsel David Minchello said they cannot actually take the title until four people sign off on the promotions. The four are the city administrator, the police director, the personnel director who has to certify the title and the CFO, who must confirm that there are adequate funds.

The City Council has three meeting left in 2013, an agenda-fixing session on Dec. 2, a regular meeting on Dec. 9 and an agenda-fixing session on Dec. 16 for the 2014 reorganization at which Mapp must seek approval for his cabinet appointees. The date of the reorganization has not yet been announced, but it must be within the first 10 days of the New Year.

منشورة في: