MANAGER AND ATTORNEY
GET RAISES IN WAKE OF NEW ORDINANCE
City Manager Curt
Walton and City Attorney Robert Hagemann each received 6% raises in a year that
most other city employees have received a maximum of 3% increase. Police and Fire first responders finally received
a 3% raise, but have still only received the 1.5% “cost of living” increase
(hard to say if this is accurate after so long without a raise, and so many
increases in health care and other costs).
Step Pay increases have not been paid yet.
Police are on
mandatory 12-hour shifts right now protecting the city and visitors during the
Democratic National Convention pre-events and for upcoming events.
While Walton and Hagemann
were chiefly responsible for drafting and approving new ordinance for the city,
and the City Council and Mayor voted approval, it’s written in such a way that
has already been challenged in court: and lost.
See link to the full ordinance at
the end of this article.
Protesters who had
erected tents in front of City Hall earlier this year after the ordinance was
enacted had been charged with Obstructing and Delaying a police officer. A judge dismissed the charges.
MAYOR FOXX
TAKES TWO STEPS BACK--AND PAYS FOR PORT-A-JOHNS?
“Our goal continues
to be striking an appropriate balance between freedom of expression and the
safety of all concerned,” Mayor Anthony
Foxx said in a statement September 3rd, talking about Occupy Charlotte campers in Mecklenburg County-owned Marshall Park (Source: Charlotte Observer).
Is that Mayor Foxx’s way of
saying they won’t stand behind an ordinance he pushed for?
This is an ordinance the City spent enormous
resources to develop and enact in anticipation of this specific event: the DNC
2012 Convention, which Foxx championed for Charlotte. Now it seems the ordinance and enforcing it
may be embarrassing for the party that keeps pronouncing itself “the most open
and inclusive party.”
Commissioner
Cogdell says “… If public health or safety issues
arrive I am confident law enforcement will move quickly to remove people from
Marshall Park.” *
What was the point of
enacting an ordinance to begin with if there was no health or safety issue to
address? The ordinance, as written, was
misguided from the beginning and Foxx and company are taking steps away from it
for now.
Torrential downpours and
lightning are likely keeping down crowds, but the City further confused issues
with installing port-a-johns on site at Marshall Park. It will be a really hard argument to make that the "violators" aren't allowed to camp there when the City is aiding them by paying for port-a-johns. Taxpayers will be further losers as County and City Attorneys we pay for would be fighting it out if anything goes more wrong.
Leader among the
protestors Michael Zytkow says “The understanding right now is that during the time of the DNC,
the police won’t be breaking any of our camps down.” * No details are given on what type of understanding
that is. The understanding is in
contradiction of the ordinance passed by City and County government specifically
with preventing camping at the DNC 2012 Convention in mind.
Another protestor was “asking people to vote for her so she
could abolish the government and give the White House to poor people.” *
COUNTY CONCERNS ABOUT
A COUNTY PARK
Bill James is perturbed
the CMPD won’t enforce the law which was specifically enacted for this
“extraordinary event,” giving sole and extraordinary power (some would say
potentially not constitutionally sound power) to one man, City Manager Curt
Walton, to declare times and locations as “extraordinary events.” James stated
in an email to Police Chief Rodney Monroe:
“While I understand that some folks are trying to thread the
needle by allowing these fringe elements some access, it is troubling to see
that the police would allow ‘camping’ after elected bodies took heat and did
the right thing and banned camping some months back.” *
*(QUOTES SOURCE:
CHARLOTTE OBSERVER Sept. 1, 2012 here by Cleve
Wootsen, contributors Steve Harrison, Ames Alexander, Bruce Henderson and Joe Marusak )
City Officials,
presumably with the approval of Curt Walton, have abdicated responsibility to
Police Chief Rodney Monroe to decide whether to enforce any ordinances
now.
SEE THE
ORDINANCE HERE
HERE is the
“Extraordinary Event” Ordinance, passed on January 23, 2012 in anticipation of
the DNC 2012 Convention.
WHY DON’T CITY
OF CHARLOTTE POLITICIANS WANT TO ENFORCE THEIR DNC ORDINANCE?
For now it seems
the low number and actions of the current protestors are more easily tolerated
than that potential backlash to the reputation of Charlotte’s “political
leaders” if they were to actually enforce the ordinance they wrote.
Why did City
Council, the City Manager, City Attorney, and City Staff, Chief Rodney Monroe,
and so many other City employees spend endless hours drafting and enacting a
new ordinance specifically for this event only to toss it aside?
Is the answer
because it’s embarrassing? Possibly
unconstitutional? Probably shouldn’t
have happened in the first place? Makes
references to individual officers having to divine the thoughts of people who
are walking around before they can determine whether to begin attempting an
arrest—risking their own personal liability as well as the City’s?
Was it a huge
waste of political time and taxpayer money, all to throw their weight around?
MEANWHILE,
FRONTLINE OFFICERS ARE CHARGED WITH ENFORCEMENT
The FOP #9—the
Fraternal Order of Police local—has reportedly stated their intent to protest during the DNC. Most officers that have been in touch with
Citynewswatch have emphatically said that any connection with active duty
officers will not be protesting. Aside
from all officers working 12 hour shifts, nobody wants to kill their careers by
speaking up against Monroe’s practices, or those policies of the City Manager
or the City of Charlotte. It will be
interesting to see how many retired or other outside connections will be able
to speak up for officers effectively and what they have to say.
One clue is the
certified EEOC complaint that is progressing.
Another is the Judge’s ruling that has already happened, finding the
City/CMPD did not follow due process in the case of a now-retired, now-former
RAC Sergeant who was #1 in the City when she was demoted.
There are other
indications that will be in future columns.
More information
can be found in an open letter about a review the FOP mentions on their web
site and the implications for pay. They
want a seat at the table to talk about compensation and it sounds like they
can’t get a meeting with the right people to talk about it with City of
Charlotte Officials.
From the FOP web
site, part of their open release states:
The purpose of
this memo is to provide you with the FY12-13 pay plan recommendations
formulated by the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #9 Fair Compensation
Committee. The recommendations were a
result of
numerous discussions and meetings with our members and personnel and warrant
your consideration.
. . .
The mission of
the Fair Compensation Committee is to provide CMPD Officer’s and Sergeant’s a
voice to discuss and recommend issues to our leadership involving pay and
benefits. As in the past, pay and benefits stand at the core of our mission. Crime has significantly declined from 2007 to
2011. There are a number of reasons for
this which ultimately is a direct reflection of our leadership. From this reduction, we believe that the City
has attracted a number of organizations and events to stimulate our economy and
community.
. . .
The
City of Charlotte is hosting the Democratic National Convention later this
year.
Any officers, city officials,
or citizens who have information or comments are encouraged to write to citynewswatch@gmail.com
or comment below.
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