JULY 29 • AUGUST 4, 1990
I
�AGE 15
I
MICHIGAN CITIZEN
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By Bernice Bro
CO�spond�1Il
Benton Harbor City Com­
mi ioner George Wysinger i
nee again demanding that
ubli Safety Director Sam
Wat on be fired.
At the Monday, July 23.
City Commi ion meeting
Wy inger put a motion on the
floor demanding that Wat on
resign or be fired a Benton
Harbor' Public Safety Direc­
tor for the incident that ha -
pened in Benton Townsh p
la t month.
Watson a stopped by
Patrolman Robert O'Brien on
I 0 eparate occa ions onuhc
ame night. Watson was driv­
ing 85 mph in' a 45 mph zone
and the second time he wa
driving 72 mph in a 45 mph
zone.
The monon died for lack of
upport.
According to report • Wat-
on w s ticketed the first time
he was stopped, but the second
time Watson was ordered to
turn over hi' gun and was
driven to the Benton Harbor
Police Station by 0 Brien.
Wysinger questioned City
Manager Steve; Manning
about rumo that Watson was
reuring a' of Augu t 1.
. "I "(jon', di .cu person J
matters in public." said Man­
ning.
"YO AR .. : UO) G the
.. me thing that you did last
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ROBERT
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week," said Wysinger and "1
think it looks awful foolish for.
me to as you a simple ques­
tion and you refuse to answer
them."
Wysinger accused Mayor
Wolf of dictating to Manning,
and the commis ion. .
"You have been trying to
protect this thing from day
one along with Mr. Manning,"
Wysinger accused Wolf:
"Trying to keep Mr. Watson as
Chief of the Bentron Harbor
Police Department is like
someone trying to build an
elevator irr an outhouse.
That's impo sible."
Wysinger also put a motion
on the floor to rescind the
$12,000 p y raises that was
granted by Manning .recently
to two city employees, Helen
Lacy, A sistant Finance
Director and Marcia Ferri ,
Director of Inspection.
Last week during the com­
mission meeti ng. Comm.
Charles Yarbrough 'aid Lacy
received a $10.000 pay raise
bringing her alary from
S25,000 to S35.0()O and Fer­
ris hired in May ot a 2.000
pay rai e. making her aJary
S27.000 a year. .
City Attorney John Po tolli
said the commi . ion had a
right to rc ci t r s.
Manning aid lh t the pay
rai e were justified because
addiuonal duties were given
to the employees.
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. pee ding
COMMISSIONER Ralph
Crenshaw said he didn't agree
with the action being taking,
saying it would create bad
credibility" for the city if they
tried to rescind the P y raise.
"If you are going to reverse
the City Manager's decision .
on this - that means you're
going to rever e the next
one?" Wolf asked.
"You are also undcrmind­
ing the City Manager. We
don't have to personally agree
II
Watson firedi
with everything he does, but
we did put him in this posi­
tion we did approve hi
budget to make these decision
and he ent along and made
them," aid Wolf.
"The credibility of the city
administr tion has already
been damaged," said
Yarbrough. "There's nobody
in the world that I see
quaJjfie for no damn
$10,000."
The motion failed by a 5-4
County complain
Continued from.P e I
for the orker because
people a lying it a "poli ti­
cal move" because it was an
election year.
Bowman. aid he informed
Dennis that it wa not an elec­
tion year for the City of Ben­
ton Harbor, because Benton
Harbor ran odd year elec­
tions.
liMy intentions were not
politcal whatsoever", Bow­
man aid. "Irs to the service
in which our departme t is
responsible for."
Bowman aid to the com­
mis ion "what I w nt to find
t 'tht i ion is,'!
re you have
with door-to-door voters
registration. If you feel it's
poliucal as far as your po i­
tion, then I will clo e it down
vote. Voting to rescind the
salaries were Commissioners
George Wysi nger, Charles
Yarbrough, Kerry Shannon,
and Steve Wooden. Voting to
lea e the alaric . were Mayor
Wo f. Commis ion rs Arnold
Smith, Ralph Crenshaw Her­
she McKenzie and Fred Sims.
t the July 16 commi ion
meeting the commis ion voted
to pi ce a moratorium on any
more pay raise with ut the
commi ion approval.
stops registration
in the city, aid Bowman.
The commi sion gave Bow­
man perrni sion to continue ·
the program and to send a let­
ter to the official t PIC,
prote ting the di continuance
of fund for the door-to-door
regi tration program.
City Commi sion Ralph
Cren haw said what it boil
dow to. the people in the Ci ty
ne d to understand i that
"i t' not political on our p rt,
but politic on their part."
"They are not willing to
pave the' people in Benton
Harbor registered to vote be­
cau e they feel that they will
not g t the majority of tho e
vote "Cren haw aid. "It i
political on their part."
C mmi sioner Charle
Yarbrnueh said he
d idn " think a can idate for
tate rcpre cntative should be
allowed to train pol! workers.
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