Video: Columbus Mayor to Cancel Raise

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COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) — Columbus Mayor Robert Smith will ask the City Council Monday to rescind a $10,000 pay raise that has caused an uproar among residents and generated statewide attention, even though part of that attention is based on inaccurate information.

But not all the headaches and attention are over.

“We’ve got too many good things going on in the city for this distraction to continue. The city is too important and that is my focus. The raise won’t break the city and it won’t make me a rich man, but those aren’t the issues. The city good and the distraction and taking away from the good things going on are the issues. That’s where we need to be focused,” Smith said.

“It doesn’t have anything to do with pressure or anything else. It has to do with what’s best for the city,” the mayor, who is in the first year of his second full term and third term overall, said.

Smith says he’ll ask the City Council to re-vote on the issue, which came up Aug. 6, during a special budget meeting Monday. The council is expected to agree.

Smith has been criticized for breaking a 3-3 tie in favor of the raise during the Aug. 6 budget session that included approval of deep cuts in budget requests and talk of a possible tax increase or dipping into city reserves to balance the budget.

To make matters worse, it appeared Smith had coordinated the motion by Ward 1 Councilman Gene Taylor to give the raise — to more than $88,000 a year — and had lined up votes for the raise from Taylor, Ward 2’s Joseph Mickens and Ward 4’s Marty Turner in advance.

The fire was further fanned by inaccurate reports that during the same meeting, the council cut seven police officers and three firefighters from the budget, suggesting layoffs. In reality, those were new positions that routinely are requested in preliminary budget requests not only in Columbus but in many communities.

“We’ve got new restaurants and hotels opening, major retailers opening, are about to start more than $4 million in paving and sidewalks and we have a lot of other prospects and we are getting a redevelopment effort started…those are the things we need to be talking about.

“Yes, I said I worked my butt off for the city. And I will continue to do so. The raise isn’t important or an issue, the city and its focus and attention are. We need everyone working together, not worried about a pay raise,” Smith said.

He also said he would ask the council to reconsider raises for two fire department employees that previously were rejected. Overall 3 percent raises are included in the preliminary budget for all city workers and higher raises have been approved for some administrative positions.

Smith says his raise will pay for $4,000 each for Mike Chandler and Anthony Colom (SEE LETTER BELOW) and still have $2,000 left over.

A flyer promoting a fund raiser for Smith tonight lists his office number as the contact for more information. Using city personnel for fund raising or private purposes could be a violation of state ethics or audit rules.

Smith said today he didn’t realize the city hall number was on the flyer and didn’t design or put it together. That was done by a supporter who is in the public relations business, he said. He also said as far as he knew, his office hasn’t received any calls concerning the event.

In addition, the state Ethics Commission has issued a preliminary report saying the city violated three sections of the state’s Open Meetings Law with meetings of the mayor and three council members each to discuss management of a Trotter Convention Center renovations and discussions with the Golden Triangle Development Link over retail recruitment.

The complaint was filed by The Commercial Dispatch.

The council will discuss a possible appeal of the rulings at its meeting Tuesday night.

City Attorney Jeff Turnage says the ruling could throw into question “just about any discussion” a mayor and “even one council member” have in any city or county in the state. Furthermore, meetings where the link has discussions in groups of two or three with local supervisors or council leaders to discuss economic development projects also would be illegal under the commission’s ruling but those never have been challenged by any media outlet.

MAYOR’S LETTER TO COMMERCIAL DISPATCH PUBLISHER BIRNEY IMES:

Dear Birney:

I am asking that you run this as a letter to the Editor in Sunday’s paper, or consider it for publication as a column like you used to do for Mayor Rupp. I know it is lengthy, but you have dedicated a lot of ink to the subject and I think in fairness you should try to make room for this letter without redactions.

On August 6, 2014 the Mayor and City Council of Columbus had a Budget Meeting. In that meeting the Council deadlocked on a number of issues related to some important pay raises for some of the City’s valuable employees. In order for those raises to get approval, I had to break the tie. I was disappointed that those raises were not met with more enthusiasm by the City Council. I realize there are financial consequences for giving such raises, but in my opinion we cannot afford to continue discount the value of our best employees at the risk of seeing them leave for higher pay in the County or elsewhere.

Of particular concern to me was the failure to give some raises to two firefighters. Chief Andrews and I requested raises for two valuable employees that he and I thought were deserving of raises. I thought the Council would favorably on those raises perhaps more than some others that were proposed. But Vice Mayor Taylor’s motion to approve them did not even get a second. We have the only nationally accredited fire department in the State of Mississippi. The two employees Chief Andrews and I sought raises for, Mike Chandler and Anthony Colom, were some of the most well deserved raises in the list that we took up for consideration. These requested increases were very modest, particularly for Mr. Chandler who is going to take on the job of keeping our Fire and Rescue Department nationally accredited.

This past week I had a number of discussions with Chief Andrews about the proposed raises and the lack of support for those raises was a major disappointment to
him and me. I feel very strongly that the Council made a mistake not awarding those requested raises. So, on Monday, when the Council meets again for its next budget meeting, I will ask that we take these two raises as follows: $4,000 for Mike Chandler and $4,000 for Anthony Colom. The City owes these two men a debt of gratitude for their dedicated work for this City and for the Fire and Rescue Department. These modest raises would reflect only a small token of appreciation for the work they have done and the exemplary work I know they will continue to do in the future.

I realize that the next logical question is where will the City get the money to fund these raises. I have prayed a lot about that issue and I have thought a great deal about it and I have come up with a solution. I am not going to ask this Council to spend another penny more than we were discussing at the last meeting to get these raises approved. Therefore, as much as I feel my office is underpaid, I am a bigger person than to stand in the way of some of our best employees receiving the raises that I asked the Council to approve in the last meeting. So, I am forfeiting the $10,000.00 raise in order to fund the pay raises for Mr. Chandler and Mr. Colom. That will leave $2,000 more in our general fund than we budgeted for when left the last meeting.

As I stated, I am not going to accept the raise at this time. That having been said, I would like to make one thing clear. I am not forfeiting the proposed raise because of criticism from the media, and in particular you, Birney. It is especially troubling that you have been inaccurate in your reporting by stating that the City has eliminated jobs during the budget process. Why don’t you strive to be accurate and require the same from your staff? When you are leveling criticism at people, you should use even more focus to ensure you don’t misrepresent the facts. The City has NOT eliminated any jobs in the Police Department or the Fire and Rescue Department.

Neither am I forfeiting the raise because of any belief that Columbus is collapsing or that raise is the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. Contrary to the gloom and doom picture you painted in your Sunday open letter to me, I am bullish on Columbus.

In the years since I was elected Mayor, the City has seen significant retail growth. Let us consider our good fortune Columbus has had the past few years thanks to huge investments people and businesses have spent in Columbus.

● Two new hotels and two more under construction.
● Tractor Supply Store.
● Black Prairie Tractor and Equipment
● Hobby Lobby.
● Dick’s Sporting Goods.
● Michaels.
● Chick Filet.
● Logan’s Road House.
● Buffalo Wild Wings.
● Long Horn Steak House.
● New soccer complex.
● Soccer Complex / Riverwalk connector.
● Zaxby’s
● Kroger is just completing a multimillion dollar expansion and renovation.
● Ashley Furrniture.
● Umi’s Restaurant.
● New bowling alley.
● Premier Ford is rebuilding its show room.
● Kim and Dan Bennett are renovating the old City tax office for a new downtown restaurant.
● Loves Travel and Fuel Center to open soon.

These are only a handful of the hundreds of developments that have happened in our community over the past few years. There are many others that are obvious to anyone who wants to try to find something positive to talk about. The companies that invested here, obviously have confidence that the City will prosper.

Birney, The spirit of this Great City is not broken. Columbus is a great place to live, work and raise a family. It doesn’t do the City any good for naysayers to focus on, and whine about the challenges we face. How does constant criticism and complaining from you and the Dispatch staff help this City? It is high time that the media, and particularly the Commercial Dispatch spent some time rallying around our investors and reporting about our successes and quit searching for something designed to tear down the City and frighten our citizenry. I suggest we need to renew our efforts to have unity in the community and pull together to fight our problems. If we spent more time on that, and less time on the negative, the potential of this town is unlimited. Thank you for printing this letter, and hopefully for considering the negative impact that negative press has on spirit of the folks in this City.

Sincerely,

Robert E. Smith, Sr.