The resignation of Greensboro City Manager Tai Jaiyeoba on Tuesday, March 5 is puzzling.
The City Council is mute about why Jaiyeoba resigned. When asked why Jaiyeoba resigned, Mayor Nancy Vaughan said, “It was a personal decision.”
When asked if it was related to the domestic violence incident at Jaiyeoba’s home on Dec. 28, 2023, Vaughan said, “I don’t believe the city manager did anything wrong on Dec. 28.”
When the City Council meeting was called back into public session at 5:39 p.m., Jaiyeoba was not present. In fact, his seat in the Council Chamber was vacant. Usually if the city manager cannot attend a meeting, the deputy city manager or an assistant city manager takes the place of the city manager. However, no one was in the city manager’s seat and there was no mention of why the city manager wasn’t present.
The timing is also puzzling. At 6:12 p.m., Jaiyeoba sent his letter of resignation by email to city councilmembers who were in the middle of the City Council meeting.
At 6:27 p.m., the City of Greensboro Communications and Marketing Department sent out a press release stating, “Today, the Greensboro City Council accepted the resignation of City Manager, Taiwo Jaiyeoba, effective immediately.”
But the City Council didn’t vote to accept Jaiyeoba’s resignation until almost 8:30 p.m. at the end of the City Council meeting. So the press release stating that the City Council had accepted the resignation went out nearly two hours before the City Council accepted the resignation.
The City Council did meet in closed session from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., but according to the North Carolina Open Meetings Law, while personnel matters may be discussed in closed session, final action must be taken in open session. So while the City Council may have come to an agreement in closed session, the action of accepting Jaiyeoba’s resignation wasn’t official until the City Council voted in open session.
The vote to accept Jaiyeoba’s resignation and provide him with a three-month severance package, which includes salary and benefits but not executive compensation, was 5 to 4, with Vaughan and Councilmembers Zack Matheny, Hugh Holston and Tammi Thurm voting no.
Vaughan, Matheny and Holston all said they were in favor of accepting the resignation but opposed to the severance package. Vaughan said that ordinarily when people resign they are not paid.
Councilmember Sharon Hightower said she was in favor of the severance but opposed to accepting Jaiyeoba’s resignation. However, Hightower, along with Councilmembers Yvonne Johnson, Goldie Wells, Nancy Hoffmann and Marikay Abuzuaiter, voted in favor of accepting the resignation and paying Jaiyeoba to resign.
Listen carefully to the mayor’s words. He “resigned” but she believes he did nothing wrong with the domestic situation. Maybe he didn’t resign over the domestic but something else. Hide behind that personnel privacy law. Of course the usual suspects voted to give him 3 months severance to resign. That’s $75,000 plus insurance. This was a negotiation to save their own reputations, whatever they have left of that.
Where do I go to get $78,000 of free money, without having to do a lick of work?
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The Parasitic Sector is the embodiment of greed.
Yeah. This is great.
It’s important to note that he resigned. The gutless Imperial Council didn’t FIRE him, he QUIT!
Complicit in coverups. Complicit in noncompliance of open records laws. Complicit in severance package for Manager that should have been fired for calling police chief when officers were en route to a domestic dispute at his address that he was involved in. City of Greensboro leadership is wholly corrupt and opaque. So sad our city deserves much better than the clown show we have.
The concern over his resignation compensation is valid. Given the deception we have seen by Greensboro city council on this issue makes one doubt that the 75K tax dollars being paid for someone who just up and quits is not all he will receive. Fully expect this to finish with legal proceeding that will inevitably cost us taxpayers many hundred of thousands of dollars to help an domestic abuser to walk away with a smile.
We know why. Because the Rhino Times has Guilford county’s back!! That’s why.
The plot thickens……lots of DEI hires are being canned right now…hmmmm
Now the city can argue on the appeal that the City Manager is no longer an employee therefore the video shouldn’t be released. I think the video will show overwhelming evidence that there was probable cause for an arrest. I like how the chief said that he supported the officers decision not to make an arrest when he was directing everything from home over the phone.
It’s still a public record and subject to public information when requested, regardless of whether the employee is gone. No statute of limitations.
Resigned knowing when BWC is released he is toast
Does this put loose leaf collection and more funding for police back on the table?
Hey big city what say you now. Oh yeah it’s March 5th and Greensboro has 8 murders so far. Right on track for last year you and your kind are doing an awesome job. Crow some more.
There are still lingering matters to clear up. First, an outside party should review all of the actions of the police dept: from the manager’s call to the chief’s cell phone at home, the chief directing the top officer on duty to drive out to the manager’s home to help “handle” things. Why, if all three parties had some injuries and the 911 caller said the city manager is hitting his children, were no charges made? Why was the police report on paper and when entered in the system, was blocked from view? The chief’s explanation of “privacy” isn’t available to the rest of us. There should be a city-issued policy on this. My guess it, the chief knew this was a hot topic and he was trying to give cover to Tai. Which is special treatment. Why is the chief announcing an appeal of the camera release order? Usually the legal dept or PR does that. In my opinion, the chief has lost credibility. We need a full investigation by a third party.
Typical cluster from these village idiots.