cRaZy-tOvvN Community Development

Shannon Southworth was fired on Monday. ("Southworth Issues Statement About Firing."-PDT)

Until Monday, Shannon was the Grants Technician for the City of Portsmouth. As of today, she is still listed on the City's website as the contact person for the Community Development Department. (http://www.portsmouthoh.org/index.aspx?nid=72)

Shannon's name may be there for a while. After all, Jeff Peck who was let go by the City almost a month ago, is still listed on the City's website as the director of the Engineering Department, the Public Service Department, the Public Utilities Department, AND the Wastewater Department.  (He is really gone, isn't he?)

Now according to the Portsmouth Daily Times: "The remaining person in the Portsmouth Community Development Department has been fired. Shannon Southworth...was fired by Mayor Jane Murray Monday."

Why was Southworth fired, you may ask? Well, Frank Lewis, the Portsmouth Times reporter, asked Jane Murray the same question.

"Murray would not talk about the termination on the record, citing dealing with personnel as an administrative issue."

Wow! This is quite a change for Ms. Murray! In the past firing employees was reason for a press conference to make wild accusations against them. Remember when she fired the Water Works Director and  publicly threatened to have investigated for corruption-based on the claims of a convicted felon. (She later hired him back). Remember when she fired the Sewer Director for gross mismanagement and neglect of duty. (She later offered him his job back). Remember when she fired the Service Director for incompetence, neglect of duty, and lack of caring about the public? (Apparently the Portsmouth Municipal Court judges disagreed, because about a week later they hired him as their bailiff.)

Maybe Calamity Jane has learned something in her brief, disastrous time in office: Sometimes just keep your big mouth shut when you fire someone.

THE REAL REASON SHANNON SOUTHWORTH WAS FIRED

In 2009 a local contractor was hired by the City to install new curbs and sidewalks in a large part of the East End of Portsmouth. There were multiple problems with his work. The contractor left piles of debris in the streets and disappeared from the job for long periods of time. Perhaps the biggest problem was vandalism. The contractor was responsible for securing his work until the concrete hardened, but most of the sidewalks the contractor installed were defaced with extensive graffiti, some of which is vulgar. (The graffiti can be seen at many of the intersections south of 8th Street and east of Campbell St.) The Community Development Director at that time retained part of the amount owed to the contractor until the vandalized sidewalk sections were removed and replaced. The contractor refused, saying he shouldn't be responsible for vandalism, even though it was a requirement of the contract.

The project was paid through the City Auditor's Office using Federal and State funds granted to the City, so the City had to report to the State on the progress of the project. The City reported that project was not complete and explained the reason why the funds were withheld. Of course the contractor was very unhappy about this.

Who was the contractor who installed the sidewalks? None other than Jack Vetter. The same contractor the Mayor "hired" without City Council authorization to remodel her office (including her lovely bathroom) on her first day in office. This is the same contractor who just last week complained to the Portsmouth Times ("Local Contractor Upset Over Non-Payment From City") and harshly criticized City Council for not paying him for the remodeling. Vetter said, "I blame Council 100 percent. I think they are playing hardball with the Mayor and taking it out on me." Please notice that the article does not mention Vetter's non-payment for the sidewalk work.

What does this have to do with Ms. Southworth? Last month, the contractor (Vetter) submitted a bill to the city for "additional work" related to the East End sidewalk project.The mayor's office prepared an invoice to pay for the "additional work" using federal community development funds and sent it to Ms. Southworth, as the City's Grants Technician, for her approval. Knowing the history of the sidewalk project, Southworth contacted the Ohio Department of Development to make sure the invoice could be paid. While Southworth was waiting for an answer, Jeff Peck (in one his last acts as a City employee) removed the voucher from Southworth's desk, signed it and took it to the Auditor's Office for payment. (Even though the funds are federal/state provided, the actual check comes through the City Auditor.)

For her own protection, Southworth wrote a memo to the mayor, the city solicitor and city auditor to explain that the invoice was taken from her desk and paid without her knowledge and to clarify that she had not finished her review of the bill. The mayor apparently considered Southworth's memo to be grounds for firing.

As a result of Ms. Murray's attempt to provide additional compensation (we were told the amount was over $20,000) to a favored contractor for questionable, substandard work using federal funds, the City is now being investigated by the Ohio Department of Development. And now the City has no Community Development Department.

When Jane Murray ran for Mayor and she came into office she claimed to be an expert in community development. She promised she would bring in museums and parks and grants and cultural centers to Portsmouth, "just like I did in Lexington." (As we have already shown here on P-Town Underground, her claimed Lexington "successes" are all frauds.)

So, Dear Reader, what do you think?

Which of the follownig is a bigger priority for Mayor Jane Murray? The Community Development Department, which should be the welcoming face of our city for business people and government officials from out of town and around the world...

...or is it a small room, intended for use by only one person, built by a contractor who did substandard work for the city, whose pay request was questioned by an employee who was fired for doing her job?