21-27,1
MlC
11
Hiqhland Park Focus
Council Ichange
HIGHLAND P. e
Highland Par City Council
dopted a budget Mo day
y 15, ich differed from
proposals made by ayor
Martha G. Scott. '
The uneil dded ce .
items . ch the mayor did not
include:
- A Public Safety Officer
ill, at cost of $15,141. The
money wa taken from the
mayor's proposals for Capitol
Outlay.
Some money as taken
from the' 92,874.00 surplus
es timated in the mayor's
budget The money will be
ayo vet
By
I HIGHLAND PAR
Highland Park Mayor ...............
G. Scott vetoed action by city
council to give a pecial ttor­
ney for fo the City Clerk. The
attorney uld . tip al-
leged violatio of e charter
by the Scott Administratio .
Councilwoman Christine
Franklin ted t under
charter e mayor d .
to veto provisio Ii a pec:iaI
attorney. A pecial omey •
llowed by charter hen a
fide- c&pute between
different offices' the city.
HigblaDd Par City CJer
Jean Green tatedo, 0 e
CaD veto tha . You [Scott Ad­
ministration offici Is] doa't
ha a charter.·
CouDcil members . d to
ta Y ctio on
Two employees in In­
s�ctions -- a Public Health
S . ti Wor er,atacostof
$20,665 and a Sanitation
spedlliU, at a cost of $19,531. I
The council office indicated
bo positions re written
out in the mayor' budget.
$40,000 was deducted from
Prisoners' Care to pay these
positions.
used in these ways:
, $17,000 to the
Treasurer's office for a Clerk
Collecter, in order to collect
delinqueat taxes.
- $18,949 to add an Ad­
ministrative Clerk to the
Finance Department
·budg
f
- $ 1,529 to change the - $20,000 for Contr ctual
po ition and alaI)' of t e Services.
Senior Accountant to the level - - $18,000 for Travel and
of Cllicf Account . (During Seminars.
the hearings, some council - $10,000 for Contingen-
members stated such salary . ey.
increase as necessary to at-The budget will go back to
tract more qualified people to Mayor Scott for her approvaL .
Finance, so that the city would According to the city
be better abl to deal with its charter, the mayor has a right
budget problems.) to veto any item. The charter
_ An increase of$1,768 to states that four out of five
the library, necessary to members will have to vote
change a Librarian I to the against her in order to over-
position and salary of a rid the veto.
Librarian II. ,
In its own budget, city
council. took $48,000 out of the
surplus. .
aHo ney for Cler ; Co neil ign,res it.
In her veto notice, Mayor
Scott stated that Green's re­
quest for a separate attorney
based on an inves· bon
by a Special Committee of
Gty Council of the mayor's
emergency order canceUing
an ambulance contract with
Emergency Care Service
(E�), which coun� had pre­
viously approved over Scott's
veto.
The S pedal Committee.
ruled that "no true emergency·
existed and the mayor had DO
right to cancel it.
Council President Porter
ated at the meeliDg that the
report had not been writte .
Scott stated, "The Office of
e yor is not a are of what
ctions/deliberations were
taken by this Special Commit­
tee, except Council Porter's
testimony in court for the con­
tracter against the city, that a
conclusion of 'no emergency'
was determined-
Calling this conclus n
biased, Scott stated th t whe
she made the emergenc ' .
order, "there was every indica­
tion to believe that the con- r ,
tractor at the time did not have
the capability to delWer emer­
gency care services to the City
of Highland Par •
Scott's Adminiurative As­
sistant Fred Ferri tated that
the ambulance's equipment
was placed in receivership.
Scott stated, -Thi� Ad­
ministration determined that
an emergency did indeed exist
and acted with deliberate
speed to ensure the safety of
the residents by securing
emergency care services
through another company
[Oakl nd mbulance Ser-
vice)." .
"The A inistration acted
in good faith not only to
pro ect the citizenry, but acted
in ccordance with the po rs
and duties ted in the Office
of the Mayor - she added.
Adam Go tJieb, the h d of
. ECS, challe ged this, tating
that on Frida May 12 hi com-
. pany delive ed emergency
help to a p isoner and got
there ead f OakJand, who
tried to ta e til prisoner away
from them.
Ferris stated that if thi
ere true, Gottlieb got h'
equipment back fter the
mayor gave her emergency
order 0 e month ear�r.
olice
1
romo
ary 0 limit. The orthern
boundary, ho ver extends
past Po . to Lapeer and the
� t�rn' boundary past
I.'
•
on
flak
too Harbor which· 93 'per­
cent African, also ha a
predominantly hite, non­
resident police force.
or i the struggle of
African officer for promo­
tioD an' Iated incident In
1988, even Africa
American, 0 ;e H' panic and
one native American police
·o� in Grand Rapi filed
. alIegeding disaimnabon
t city' departmeDt They'
charged that the written exam
d peri ee eva) .
e elisa' . tory. At the
the ui filed, 0D1y
of 4S command officers
miDOrity, a H· panic.
The Written exam· also an
in High d Park. The
pr . citizens y that two
Black officers in t e city
passed the exam and were
J:W •
raise the concern say, "Ne
believe that some (X)IDSJ(' len
lion should have been givaa to
the officers that lWe in the city,
for they are ODIy jeopard­
mag their lives 2A hours, b
their family and friends also.
The ttitude of a police officer
who lWes in this city be
much differeDt d h' respect
of other would be greater.·
Emerson said he agrees.
His efforts to rectify the· .­
tion purred the union to take
. him to co
I
CItY Attorn y
'EXC'USE 'fr6m
r pr e Ing city
council
HIGHLAND P . - In a
three to two vote at the May 15
I meeting, the Highland Park
City Council vo ed to stop City
Attorney Darnell Dickerson
from representing them and
appointed Victoria Abdellah
as their special counsel.
Although the Highland
Park charter specifies that the
City Attorney represents all
department, it states that a
seperate attorne Ishall b
provided in cases 0 bona fide
disputes.
While removed as attorney
for the council, Dickerson is
still the city attorney.
Council President Linsey
Porter led the move to cut ties
with Dickerson.
Porter charged that Dick­
erson:
- Failed to inform council
of proper eli to take e
the mayor voided the city am­
bulance contract with Emer­
gency Care Service.
- WIlhhe d evidence of a
contract the mayor signed
with the Oakland Ambulance
Service.
- Failed to finaJize ballOt
I nguage on residency re­
quirement for city employees..
- F� to sub . a report
on possible liabilities 0 pend­
ingsuits.
- Failed to submit lan­
guage for getting a vote on the
Citizen Board of Review.
Voting with Porter ere
Council member Chri tine
Fran lin and Frs nk Ro .
Dwight Downes and Comer
Heath m voted against dis­
missing the city attorney.
Ross in explaining hi own
vote, em ized that he did
not ceep charg Dick­
erson w "deceiving" the
council or -t· orders- to
kagainst it
He tated he voted to dis-
miss Dickerson, bees uch
behavior • Jipshod..
Accusing Porter of .taking
the conOict and personaliziDg
. rather than dealing with the
. whole picture, - Heath said,
"We have deal . the La
Department ( attornies for
the City Council] in the past]
and ould continue to do so.· .
III upporting the resolu­
tio Franklin insi ted that
there be a limit of SS,ooo that
the co ciI could pay Abdel­
la before ·going bac ,for
another vote.
Ro added anoth r
ameIldment that the arr e­
me t ould h ve to be
re ewed bY co cil in 0
(