Author
|
Post |
|
|
Steve Myers
Site Admin
|
The City Council unanimously approved re-appointing Peter Dobrzeniecki as finance director Monday, but the mystery as to why he originally lost his job only deepened.
The approval followed a lengthy question-and-answer session of Dobrzeniecki under oath that resulted in only further speculation on why Mayor Don Williamson let Dobrzeniecki go in early June, only to bring him back about a month later.
The mayor initially said the removal was part of a spring "housecleaning." But when Dobrzeniecki returned, city officials offered few details and left an impression that he possibly wasn't even fired but only suspended.
Dobrzeniecki cleared some of the air by saying he was fired, but he added he was given no reason for the termination or why Williamson asked him back. He speculated he may have upset the mayor by keeping him up-to-date about discussions with auditors.
"It was a misunderstanding," he said after the meeting.
Dobrzeniecki said he decided to return because he enjoys working with the people at City Hall and wants to continue the reforms he helped start. The job pays $89,600 a year.
"The job is challenging, and it gives me an opportunity to use 30 years of experience on a day-to-day basis," he said.
Dobrzeniecki, who is largely credited with
fixing the city's financial reporting problems and setting a high standard of ethics for the department, was hired shortly before Mayor Woodrow Stanley's recall in 2002. He was kept on during the state takeover and later by Williamson, who had cited Dobrzeniecki's ties to Stanley as a reason for his removal.
Council members asked Dobrzeniecki on Monday to look into several issues, including how the city can still pay Fire Chief Richard Dicks after the council voted not to appoint him, whether mayoral appointees were campaigning on city time and about gas mileage reimbursements.
Dobrzeniecki said the city might have to lay off Dicks. After the meeting, however, City Attorney Trachelle Young said Dicks would continue in the post because the council couldn't legally reject him, noting the members' main complaint was over how he would be paid, not his qualifications.
Joe Conroy, the city governmental operations director,later denied any city abuses regarding appointees and mileage reimbursements.
Full Story:
http://www.mlive.com/news/fljournal/index.ssf?/base/news-30/112239304150710.xml&coll=5 |
|
|
Wed Jul 27, 2005 12:57 pm |
|
|
|