City Councilmember Zack Matheny has suggested that the City Council hold a closed session to discuss the incident of domestic violence involving City Manager Tai Jaiyeoba at his home on Dec. 28, 2023.
Matheny suggested that a closed session might be needed in an email to Mayor Nancy Vaughan, his fellow councilmembers and senior city staff on Thursday, Jan. 25.
In the email Zack stated, “I’ve struggled with how to manage this situation, but, since this has become such a public issue, I think it would be wise for the City Council to hold a closed meeting and hear the call. Although, as I write this I am not sure if this could be done before it is made public.”
Matheny continued, “As much as this is a personal situation, it is also our employee and therefore it seems necessary for us to at a minimal to have a discussion.”
When Matheny wrote the email, the city was still withholding the 911 call itself and the police report, which were both released to the public later in the day.
Matheny immediately got push back from Councilmember Sharon Hightower, who wrote, “Zack, I don’t think we can do this. Chuck [City Attorney Chuck Watts] is this right?
Watt’s response is fairly long and it begins, “Sharon, it’s actually a more interesting legal question than I initially thought. And sorry but the answer is that it would depend. It depends, as is always the case, on the purpose of the closed session. If the closed session is for the purpose of considering the qualifications etc of an employee, then, yes a closed session would be legally allowed. If, however, Council is interested in hearing the audio tape for some other reason, then no, it would not be authorized.”
Watt’s response continues with a quote from the North Carolina General Statutes, and he states, “People tend to think of this language broadly as the HR exception when in fact the language is explicitly clear. So if Council believes that from what you may know, that hearing it would impact your decision about the manager’s ‘qualifications, competence, performance, character, fitness, condition of appointment…,’ then closed session would be authorized.”
The original CAD report released by the city was incorrect.
The city reportedly corrected the CAD report so that it now reads, “CITY MANAGER IS HITTING HIS CHILDREN.”
It would certainly appear that a father hitting his children would reflect on his “character.”
One would have to hope that the question being considered is whether the City Council should have a discussion about the city manager’s behavior on Dec. 28 in closed session or in open session, not whether or not the City Council should discuss the matter at all.
By not releasing the standard police report on the incident at Jaiyeoba’s house on Dec. 28, the city managed to keep the incident out of the public domain for almost a month. But now that information is out there and the public deserves a more detailed explanation of what happened and why it took so long for the city to release the public information about it.
Please stay on this Rhino!!! Do not let it slip under the radar and rug!!!!
DEI will over rule anything council may do or consider. Get ready for the race card to be played.
Ot already got played when he was hired. There’s no way he keeps his job. They’ll find another token.
Nothing better for a cover up than to cover up the first cover up. Transparency? Keep these Ass Clowns in their City Council Seats. Laughable
People need to continue to remember that these are PUBLIC documents. They cannot be legally hidden or withheld. ALL of the documents, including audio tapes, need to be available to the public.
Also, who authorized the records to be altered as mentioned in the article. That person needs to be charged and prosecuted as well. Anybody else who was involved in withholding those recorded need to be charged as well.
Anybody who is a legal citizen is allowed to get a COMPLETE unaltered copy of the record. The City Council has put themselves in a serious world of hurt and would be smart to do everything in the open. Doing anything else reinforces the general belief they hiding things from the public…something, IMO, they can be good at.
Uh, doesn’t the City Atty work for the City Manager. Doesn’t Merrick Garland work for the President?
The city attorney works directly for the City Council as does the city manager.
My ererre. It was ‘splained to me in in the past, buy had yet another senior(ile) moment.
Let’s have a closed session regarding the criminal activities of our City Manager. Just more back-room politics proposed by Zack Matheny to address an incompetent City Leadership team? Maybe Zack should attend one of the Community Meetings held across our city and listen to the leaders of different City Departments profess their transparency and “If you see something, say something!” Just another smokescreen to cover a very dysfunctional and incompetent Mayor, City Council, City Manager, and Chief of Police. What would you say Zack “Just Trust Me”!
Well, I don’t trust any of you!
Jim Donaldson
There is no excuse for domestic violence. If it occurred he should have been arrested and booked. Then face the consequences any of us would face for the same thing. I believe he should be terminated or allowed to resign with no pay. Nobody is above the law, period.
Shhhh, don’t tell the minions!
Just like with Spearman, the swamp mosters protect their own.
This is a “feel good” move by a few members of council. Nothing will come of it. Total waste of time
The longer City Council sits on this the more litigious it becomes. Automatic suspension. That is damage control…why the hesitation? The City has fired others for much less. Shall we list the others? Does the City really want to assume this type of risk?
We the public have a right to know! HE as the Mayor and city council work for the citizens of Greensboro. They ALL forget that.
Corruption at it best, ignorance of our citizens to keep voting in the same corruption. Time for a change, time for younger people to take the reigns.
Has anyone seen a news report regarding this domestic violence event on channels 2, 8, 12 or in the N & R?
Will go no where! interesting that no one seemed to care but Mathany and the city lawyer shelled out some mumbo jumbo to deflect. Black history month starts next week! Do you think we are going to fire our black city manager when we have buses rolling in and the civil rights museum in the blackest big city in the state! No chance and the Mayor knows that go get some tickets to the museum that’s the only show your going to get. Happy black history month go ride the trolley out wonderful city manger has implemented
You are correct, but it has nothing to with Black History Month. City Council is made up of smallminded, Black promoting, get-elected-at-any cost, intellectually inferior individuals, all the result of the changing demographics.
Legal-ese seems to be Mr. Watts vocation. Anybody know what he actually said what he is quoted as saying? He does work for the City Manager? This is just my opinion, and I could be wrong…..
Luke 8:17 states, “For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open” This is a reminder to us to always be honest.
Greensboro’s transparency….
Zack’s struggle with this is most likely due to a flashback from 2015 when he was found asleep behind the wheel of his SUV by a GSO police officer at 3:40am with the engine running in a vacant Harris Teeter parking lot and his subsequent DWI conviction. His blood alcohol content was .20.
Also, according to a Reddit post from Jan 2023, an email from a local executive at a well-known GSO company dated 1/27/23 was sent to Mayor Vaughan describing an incident where Zack was seen intoxicated and verbally abusive to his girlfriend and her children at the Tanger Center during the performance of the show Cats.
Another comment on Reddit said: “Everyone at the city knows Zack is a drunk. They don’t care. Everyone knows Hightower hates white people. They don’t care. Everyone at the county knows Danny is a philanderer who lies and steals from the county. They don’t care. Good people don’t go into politics…”
Everyone knows why Irving Park people go to that old HT parking lot at night.
You’re right about Matheny’s behavior.
And that DWI is his second one.
If it was a regular citizen, Police Officer, Firefighter, business owner etc.. it would have been on the news the next day. The person would have been asked to resign if not already fired. He is a high level leader who should go ahead and resign and try another City or State. Greensboro continues to go down the tubes. Yes, we bring in new companies, businesses, jobs etc. , but we also set records for Homicides, Homelessness is growing rapidly, drug overdoses on the rise, I could continue but everyone sees through the City Council and County management Smokescreen and money waste. Time for Skip and Danny to get another big raise. Really interested in seeing these non-profits reduce the Violent Crime. Won’t happen.
Why this socialist-leaning person was hired in the first place is questionable, just based on his beliefs and background. He pushes high-density housing (it used to be called “the projects” back in my day and was a cesspool of taxpayer funded filth and crime).
All of that aside though, anyone committing domestic violence should lose their job and be jailed for an appropriate sentence. Those attempting to cover it up via whatever means should be appropriately dismissed and penalized as well. How hard is this to understand?
Can you post what info the Rhino times has? A doc dump would help. Full paper report and emails please. Or direct us where to find it. Not too versed on open source sleuthing so any help is appreciated.
Term limits folks…..TERM LIMITS. Thinking two consecutive is plenty for the mayor and council. At large election of all the council would go a long way to accountability as well but it seems a change would be subject to approval by the DOJ making it a hard climb with the current administration. Maybe at some point a majority will be fed up enough by all the shenanigans to force a change.
It is imperative that we have term limits for ALL elected offices. Take note of the many, many politicians who would not be in office long enough to develop self-serving relationships. Incumbents have an advantage over other candidates. They curry favor with voters for one objective, to get re-elected. Combined with an uninformed electorate, the result is what our country has become. Think locally, statewide, and federal. It is easy to name politicians who would be long gone from the political stage if we had term limits. Locally there is Skip Alston, Deena Hayes, Nancy Vaughn, and Sharon Hightower to name a few. If term limits are to be considered, there must be a campaign waged in Raleigh. Write letters, visit members of the legislature, when in session. Form groups for the purpose of strategizing. The established political class must be tamed. They will not tame themselves.
When will the focus turn to the cover up. The chief of police broke several NC statutes ordering the officers to stand down, discontinue body worn cameras, and do not enter an official report in the CAD system. On top of the North Carolina General statute, multiple GPD operating standards, were thrown out the window.
Near/at the bottom of my S-list are people who abuse children.