Disinformation at the oct. 14, 2002 City Council Meeting?

During the Oct. 14, 2002 City Council meeting, the former Brunswick Finance Director (now living in Hinckley) made several statements which an informed person might decide met the definition of disinformation. Please watch the replay of the meeting on cable channel 52 and decide for yourself whether she presented the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

If you have never watched a televised City Council meeting or its reruns, you need to do so. Remember, each Council and administration member is staring at a TV camera and they are on their very best behavior during these meetings. Is this behavior good enough for the leaders of the city where you and your family live?

She brought up many cases where strong Mayors had replaced department heads with their political supporters. She characterized these acts as what will happen in Brunswick when the strong Mayor form of government is adopted.

FACT: This behavior is covered in Section 5.01 of the proposed Charter changes and cannot happen:

"Each department shall be headed by a director who shall be appointed by the City Manager, (MAYOR) subject to confirmation by City Council, and who shall serve at the pleasure of the City Manager (MAYOR). With the consent of Council, the City Manager (MAYOR) may serve as the head of one or more such departments."

FACT: This is a non-issue as all department head appointments must be approved by City Council, the same as today. The only change in this existing paragraph is the replacement of the term "City Manager" with the term "Mayor".

FACT: Section 3.09g will have entirely new wording added, protecting employees from this type of action. Employees would be able to appeal such job actions to City Council, who could uphold, modify or overturn the Mayor's action. This protection does not exist under the current charter. Such employees wanting to contest the City Manager's adverse action against their job have had to sue the City in court with the taxpayers footing the defense bill.

"All suspensions, reduction in rank, or removal from the department, or termination of employment, of unclassified civil service employees, may be appealed to the legislative authority of the Municipality within ten (10) days from the date of the Mayor’s judgment. The legislative authority shall hear the appeal within fourteen (14) days of the date the appeal was filed. The person against whom the judgment had been rendered may appear in person and by counsel at the hearing, examine all witnesses, and answer all charges against him. At the conclusion of the hearing, the legislative authority may dismiss the charges; uphold the Mayor’s judgment; or modify the judgment to one of suspension for not more than sixty (60) days, reduction in rank, or removal from the department. Action of the legislative authority other than upholding the Mayor’s judgment requires the affirmative vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the members of Council. The decision of the legislative authority may be appealed to the Common Pleas Court, as provided in the Ohio Revised Code. "

As you have just read, the proposed Charter changes provide more protection against such politically-motivated actions than exist today.

She mentioned that the City of Medina is looking to switch to a City Manager form of government.

FACT: She did not report that this was already attempted in Medina a few years ago, was soundly defeated at the polls and there is nothing on the November ballot about this issue! http://www.co.medina.oh.us/election/issues.htm Just who is making this proposal? The International City Manager's Association?

She mentioned several agencies as having pointed to Brunswick as a good example of local government while failing to point out that they have all been city contractors. As the Director of Finance, she certainly should know they were paid with taxpayer money:.

FACT: Kent State University was paid several thousand dollars for a study of the fire department in 1992 and more recently has been paid on multiple occasions to conduct Civil Service Assessment Center examinations for Brunswick.

FACT: Cleveland Statue University was paid around $10,000 for a highly disputed study of the fire department in 1996. Records received under the Ohio Public Records Act showed Brunswick officials worked behind the scenes to successfully have CSU change the report so it reflected the opinions of the former City Manager and not the CSU findings. Details, including scanned copies of the documents retrieved from the files of CSU, are found here: http://www.savelivesinbrunswick.com/csu.htm. More recently, city employees have received paid training conducted by CSU and CSU has been paid to facilitate City Council sessions.

She mentioned that a former City Manager of Bedford thinks Brunswick's government is also wonderful.

FACT: This person was part of the aforementioned 1996 CSU study and failed to notify Brunswick City Council when he learned the final report was changed by former City Manager Trimble to hide information from the taxpayers, citizens and employees: http://home.earthlink.net/~savelivesinbrunswick/06-12-96.htm. You can find what he was paid for his work in the study here: http://home.earthlink.net/~savelivesinbrunswick/budget.htm Yes, this money came from the taxpayers of Brunswick.

FACT: This same person proposed that Brunswick join Bedford in a fiber optic venture that saw Brunswick taxpayers lose $40,000. http://www.sunnews.com/news/2000/0921/SFIBER.htm .

FACT: He then left Bedford and now works at Munitech Associates. He asked City Council for a $30,000 contract from Brunswick taxpayers during the Sept. 18, 2000 Committee of the Whole meeting for yet another fiber optics study. http://www.munitech-associates.com/MUNITE~1/biographiesx.html

She mentioned Squire, Sanders and Dempsey, the Cleveland law firm, as a supporter of Brunswick.

FACT: No doubt, as Brunswick taxpayers have paid them untold thousands over the years. In 1992 they lost a federal lawsuit that found the City of Brunswick guilty of violating the constitutional rights of an employee on multiple occasions. City Manager Trimble had to be given immunity to avoid losing everything. Did City Council take action against Trimble for violating his oath of office to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States of America? Nope.

Yes, people, this was our former Finance Director speaking. At this meeting, she was very proud of the fact that she lived in Brunswick for 43 years, longer than Mayor Hanes has been alive. We would like to wish her well now that she has moved to Hinckley.