Note: This story was republished to include correct information about a video.
Saying they “deserve their privacy,” Hopewell Mayor Johnny Partin Jr. said the firings earlier this month of the city manager and city clerk were without “cause” but not without “justification,” and because it is a personnel matter, those reasons will not be publicly divulged.
“It is true that we did vote for termination without cause, meaning only to award these employees their contractual severance payment instead of accusing them of any misconduct and withholding severance,” Partin said in a statement from the dais during the May 27 City Council meeting. “It does not mean their terminations were without reasons. Council had reasons for this.”
He claimed that he and the other councilors who voted May 1 to fire City Manager Dr. Concetta Manker and City Clerk Brittani Williams would like to share those reasons “for transparency, but these are personnel matters for which these former employees deserve their privacy.
“It is that reason that we cannot publicly discuss these issues,” he concluded.
The statement was the first public acknowledgement of the public firestorm that was set off by the firings of Manker and Williams. Citizens and some councilors have made accusations of racism and conflict-of-interest over the run-up to the decision. Manker and Williams are Black, while the four councilors who voted to fire them – Partin, Vice Mayor Rita Joyner, Ward 4 Councilor Ronnie Ellis and Ward 5 Councilor Susan Daye – are White.
Lawsuits and other legal actions over the decision have been threatened but not yet filed.
In his 90-second remarks, Partin did not mention Manker or Williams by name, referring to them only as “employees.”
More: Hopewell commonwealth’s attorney finds legal fault with council’s firing of city manager
Specter of firings loomed over meeting
Twenty-six days after Manker and Williams were let go, their presence is still being felt at council meetings, and the May 27 one was no exception.
For the second consecutive meeting, the group Virginia Party for Socialism & Liberation held a protest rally in support of the two women outside the Municipal Building. Rain kept attendance to a handful, though, and once the rally was complete, protesters came to the meeting carrying placards that read such comments as “No More Jim Crow!”
Unlike the May 13 meeting, however, the group left council chambers silently, just waving their placards as they exited.
More: Decline to opine: Virginia attorney general will not weigh in on Hopewell firings issue
An awkward mayoral moment
This time around, the public-comment period was not heavily laced with vitriol toward councilors over the firings. However, one citizen’s request to speak wound up putting Partin in a somewhat awkward position after he volunteered to assist her.
Ward 7 resident Karren Thayer wanted an email she had written to be read into the record, but she said she could not read it because she had forgotten her glasses. Partin told her he would read it aloud for her.
“I’m asking that the Mayor, Joyner, Ellis and Daye resign or be removed from their positions of the city of Hopewell,” Thayer’s email stated, as read by Partin. “They are continuing to put our city at risk.”
The email went on to accuse the four White councilors of shutting the three Black councilors – Ward 2’s Michael Harris, Ward 6’s Yolanda Wyche Stokes and Ward 7’s Dominic Holloway – out of pre-vote discussions on matters during meetings. “That is a lack of transparency,” it stated.
“When the mayor and his posse believe they are above the law and ignore the law, they need to be removed from office,” the email continued. “The mayor and his posse believe that they have the right to make decisions concerning Hopewell and their wards. However, they continue to make decisions without other [councilors]. This is not only inappropriate but also racist because they are not allowing other [councilors] who are Black to be involved in conversations and/or decisions.”
Interim: I believe in ‘boring’ government
The meeting also provided interim City Manager Michael Rogers with his first opportunity since his appointment to speak publicly.
After congratulating the Hopewell Police Department for gaining accreditation, Rogers announced that he had elevated Stacey Jordan, Hopewell’s chief financial officer, to the position of deputy city manager. She will hold both positions simultaneously, even though the funding for the deputy city manager position was not included in the $222 million city budget councilors adopted during the meeting.
“This is how future city managers are made,” Rogers said of Jordan.
Of his own tenure, Rogers said he believes in “boring government, without drama.” He vowed to be transparent with council and the community over all the decisions he makes while in the seat.
Rogers is employed by the Robert Bobb Group, a municipal advisory firm Hopewell worked with last year to bring its fiscal-management system up to par. After Manker was fired, council voted to adopt a contract with RBG that would pay Rogers $21,000 a month for his services, not to exceed $250,000 annually. The contract also stated that Rogers, in addition to his city manager’s duties, would assist council in finding a permanent replacement.
More: Hopewell’s interim city manager is on a month-by-month contract. How much will he make?
Also during the meeting, council voted to make City Attorney Anthony Bessette the city clerk “pro tem” until a permanent replacement for Williams is hired. Deputy Clerk Sade’ Allen, who is running the clerk’s office for the time being, has not attended any meetings since the firings.
Like the deputy city manager position, the job of deputy clerk will also not be funded in the fiscal year 2025-26 city budget.
More: In criminal complaint, Hopewell councilor says city attorney ‘forcefully’ grabbed wrist at meeting
Bill Atkinson (he/him/his) is an award-winning journalist who covers breaking news, government and politics. Reach him at [email protected] or on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @BAtkinson_PI.
This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Hopewell mayor speaks out on firings of city manager and city clerk
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