It appears that Michelle Kennedy, in applying for a job with the city while a member of the Greensboro City Council, may have violated several clauses of the City Council’s new Code of Ethics.
The City Council unanimously passed the new “Code of Ethics, Gift Policy, and Disclosure Requirements for the Mayor and City Council of the City of Greensboro, North Carolina” at its Aug. 2 meeting. If the councilmembers followed the code of ethics then they all should be familiar with what it entails. One clause states the mayor and councilmembers should “faithfully attend and prepare for meetings.”
It appears that for Kennedy to apply for a job with the city may have violated at least two clauses in the Code of Ethics.
The Code Of Ethics states, “1. The Mayor and Council members should obey all laws applicable to their official actions.
“The Mayor and Council members should be guided by the spirit as well as the letter of the law in whatever they do.”
Frayda Bluestein, the David M. Lawrence Distinguished Professor of Public Law and Government at the North Carolina School of Government, 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.”
NCGS-14-234 in part states, “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.”
While whether a city councilmember applying for a job with the city may or may not be a technical violation of the law, it appears it would violate the spirit of the law.
The Code of Ethics also states, “4. If the Mayor or a Council member believes that his or her actions, while legal and ethical, may be misunderstood, the official should seek the advice of the City Attorney and should consider publicly disclosing the facts of the situation and the steps taken to resolve it (such as consulting with the attorney.”
Applying for a job while on the City Council appears to be the kind of situation that this clause refers to. No one could think that it would not be “misunderstood” for a sitting city councilmember to be hired as a department director by the city manager who works for the City Council and therefore the councilmember seeking a job.
According to sources familiar with the situation, the city attorney was not contacted and asked his opinion by Kennedy who had a responsibility to do so according to the Code of Ethics Kennedy voted in favor of approving earlier in the month.
Secret meetings, mandates, now this questionable action. Because they basically control the local government, the only avenue I can recommend is to have a good memory and vote. Vote in the hope that balance will return to our political future. I’m cautiously optimistic that the way our city has gone can be turned around, but it’s up to ALL of us.
We can’t afford for affairs to slide down on party lines. If we want to really unite and fix our situation, it’s only by coming together that it will happen.
Democrat and Republican alike are in the same city. If we have fair and open debate about issues in OUR home we can accomplish much. Divided, as we are, there is little we will or can accomplish.
It’s our mutual future. Shouldn’t we protect it? Remember this simple maxim; it’s not who’s right, but what’s right.
Visual and legal evidence of feeding at the govt trough….
Please stay on this story. If minor violations are allowed to occur without correction then larger violations will start to occur
Just ask b what she be thinking about this
Frayda Bluestein is retired from SOG about July 1, 2021 and her original comments sounded OK. Why go to Fryda after she retired from SOG ? Was a county attorney giving an opinion? How many months would the city Look for an employee? Looks like city wanted to hire the best qualified most dedicated person to a job that is not easy and takes a very caring person. Let’s get to work.
A crooked Kennedy. Who would have thought?
Bryan really it’s just ethics what the big deal the media will get tired of the story and go on to something else just as they did with the police cars and John Deere gator that was never used at the irc.
What most people in public service do whenever their integrity is questioned on the democratic side is NOTHING. They know in most cases the media is on their side, there will be a little page 3 story on it and then— like smoke from a camp fire, it disappears. We see it every day in the big arena of politics and what better form of flattery than to copy them. So Ms Kennedy will keep her job which appears, from the job description and her resume, she isn’t even the most qualified and the days will go by. Greensboro better wake up.
Surprise Surprise.
May have violated….oh really?
“Ethical Liberal” = Oxymoron
Dirty deals and they are done dirt cheap
Just like “Mr. T” said …politicians have no ethics fool!
Now, having established that, politicians are the lowest life form on planet earth.
I will not believe a politician violated a code of ethics. Can’t happen.
The ethics code is written by politicians. What do you expect? Ethics?
The decline of ethics, morality, and family, are the root causes of our distress. Now it is “what’s in it for me”?
Well I guess now that the city attorney has been notified by everyone in the city including and the city council,it will be OK to give the Position to Kennedy .This will be the old way the Democrats work .I think that the job should be given to the next person on the list.I am guessing that other people did apply for this job.What if no one else actually applied because the job was going to be given to Kennedy!!!!!!That would classify as a coverup by the city managers office.’Say it ain’t so Joe’.Do you miss Trump yet?????
Who was the outside company that was hired to handle the hiring for this position, how much was their contract, and when did the process begin.
It is my understanding Michelle does not have the experience our previous Director so why is the city going backwards from our previous requirements.
Don’t believe any of this has been performed in the best interest of the citizens of Greensboro
She’s a democrat, so it’s “no harm, no foul”
So? I’m above the law!
Were city employees notified of the position vacancy and afforded an opportunity to make application? The slipshod manner in which this was done is a slap in the face of loyal, long-serving employees who may have harbored hopes of one day leading the department. The city council should consider supporting an ordnance that will prevent similar occurrences in the future.
Hmm, rhino won’t post a comment questioning their ethics….
Responsible reporting is “just the facts, m’am”. Opinions are not reporting.