Portage council limits Snyder's hiring powers, replaces board
Post-Tribune
March 03, 2017
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/news/ct-ptb-portage-new-ordinances-st-0301-20170303-story.html
Mayor James Snyder will continue to get his $30,000 salary as the former chairman of the Portage Utility Services Board, but the Common Council moved to replace that board and weaken Snyder's hiring powers in the city.
Snyder complained the council's move to prohibit him from choosing department heads from the fire and police departments — unless those appointments resign or retire from there respective departments — will "lock up" qualified candidates, and Snyder suggested at the city council meeting Thursday the moves were aimed at him but actually affected members of his administration.
Snyder cited the examples of former Director of Administration Joe Calhoun, who resigned last week, from the fire department and Sgt. Joe Mokol from the police department as his streets department superintendent.
"I think we've done really well in two cases," Snyder said of Calhoun and Mokol, later adding, "It seems like we're starting to fire scattershot."
Snyder, who normally is eager to speak to the media, declined to comment after the meeting, as did Mokol.
John Cannon, R-4th, voted against stripping Snyder of the hiring power, telling the council the move was the equivalent of "the council dictating to the executive branch," but he also declined comment after the meeting.
Councilman Scott Williams, D-3rd, said the council was "correcting a wrong that should've been corrected before.
"We're not targeting anyone," he said. "We're simply saying the individual, whoever that may be, has to make a choice" of job assignments.
Snyder can veto the ordinance, which the council can override, sign it or take no action, in effect passing the ordinance by "pocket veto."
The utility services board is a separate entity from the city, but the city council passes ordinances to determine the board's membership.
Two weeks ago, the council voted to prohibit mayors from sitting on the utility services board, which is made of four mayoral appointees and three from the council. The council also tried to strip Snyder of the $30,000 he gets as chair of the board, which is in addition to the $53,000 he makes as mayor.
Council members criticized Snyder's attempt last September to get the utility services board — and any resident or business that pays sewer rates — to pay more than $90,000 in legal fees he'd accumulated until then fighting a federal investigation.
Last November, Snyder was indicted on public corruption charges by federal prosecutors.
A week after the council tried to strip Snyder of his position and salary from the utility services board, Snyder convinced the board to hire Indianapolis-based law firm Faegre Baker and Daniels to represent the board against the city council, setting up what would have been an expensive legal battle for taxpayers throughout the city.
The council relented, passing an ordinance that adds $30,000 to Snyder's city salary. He now will receive one check every two weeks from the city, instead of two checks — one from the city and one from the utility services board.
But, the move to take over the utility services board means that the city council becomes the new board, and council members will not collect any additional wages for the new assignment.
Snyder still will have hiring power and some decision-making power in the utility department.
No comments:
Post a Comment