At-large City Councilmember Michelle Kennedy is expected to resign from the City Council at the Tuesday, August 17 meeting, according to several sources.
Sources say that Kennedy is resigning from the City Council in order to accept the position as Greensboro Neighborhood Development Department director.
Stan Wilson, the former director of the Neighborhood Development Department, resigned in May to accept a job in Atlanta.
Kennedy is currently the executive director of the Interactive Resource Center, a day shelter for people experiencing homelessness. She has been the executive director since 2014 and was elected to the City Council in 2017.
According to sources, Kennedy has applied for the job and the decision has been made to offer her the position as director of the Neighborhood Development Department, which she reportedly cannot accept as a member of the City Council.
However, if Kennedy did in fact apply for the job as a sitting member of the City Council that could raise legal questions according to Frayda Bluestein, the David M. Lawrence Distinguished Professor of Public Law and Government at the North Carolina School of Government.
Bluestein in an email stated, “I have generally recommended that if a sitting board member wishes to apply for a position in their unit, they should resign before the process begins. This is based on a very technical reading of [NC] GS 14-234.”
Bluestein added, “Because the council has authority to make decisions about contracts, it’s possible that this might be a violation. However, there is no case or opinion on this issue. As your inquiry suggests, it might make a difference depending at what point the person must step down, before it becomes a legal conflict.”
The pertinent portion of NCGS 14-234 states, “(a)(1) No public officer or employee who is involved in making or administering a contract on behalf of a public agency may derive a direct benefit from the contract except as provided in this section, or as otherwise allowed by law.
“(2) A public officer or employee is involved in administering a contract if he or she oversees the performance of the contract or has authority to make decisions regarding the contract or to interpret the contract.”
Interim City Manager Chris Wilson is responsible for hiring department directors and Wilson reports directly to the City Council.
The City Council only has the authority to hire and fire two city employees – the city manager, or in this case the interim city manager, and the city attorney.
I think most of the councilmembers need to be run out of town on a rail!
I agree they are all too conservative to do anyone any good. They oppose any form of investigation about our imminently corrupt Police department for one thing
Maybe she’ll resign and they withdraw the offer of employment, then everybody wins.
This council is unbelievable. So a sitting council member can apply for a job that is ultimately awarded by one of the two employees that council employs. And he is an interim. If it’s not illegal it sure as F is unethical-but that never has stopped them. Now wait for who they appoint.
Still a Greensboro problem even when she leaves the council. There wasn’t anybody else??
There was talk in the City circles about this issue, but of course, not from the city council. Wonder if her “non-profit” should be excluded from accepting more police cars that she then sold at a profit?
On this, I am torn. I do believe she has abused her position on the city council.
On one hand, while on the city council she is subject to public oversight even when we’re helpless to stop the city council from giving her organization a bunch of cars while our police force cannot even take them home.
On the other, in the new position she would be out of sight but also out of sight of the voters and would not have to answer for her actions.
Ok, now that I type it out and see it, I am not torn.
Let her remain on the council through elections. She can resign, apply for and take the position if re-elected.
This feels like a parachute and a way to protect someone the voters are unhappy with.
What does the Neighborhood dept Director do, and how much are they paid?
What does the Interactive Resource Center director do, and how much are they paid? Mrs. Kennedy is on the City Council. Why does she have this job also?
What is a City Councilmember paid?
Ms. Kennedy looks stuffed with with public money; and may be even more so, without being accountable to the electorate. Is this how Democracy works now?
appears as if she might have screwed up you might say.
Finally, some good news. Now how can we get rid of the rest of them?
Settle them with the other prisoners of war.
Will she be able to keep her current position at the irc and get paid for both jobs.
More likely than not.
It seems Miss Kennedy is a really good Democrat,Who else in Greensboro is a member of an elected board and has a Plush job on the side???????Wow is she the only person in Greensboro that is doing anything?????Are there Guidelines that says you can’t have this paid City/county job and hold down an elected job as well.I guess we all are just to far down the totem pole to understand. There again the city and county is run by Democrats so what do you expect.