Employee Turnover
Internal race relations at city hall have been strained in recent years, after several black women were asked to resign, got fired, or quit on their own. There had been grumbling (including phone calls to this reporter from several employees) that the white management staff just "didn't get it" when it came to race. There was even talk of lawyers and lawsuits. Nothing happened publicly. Until now.
On Thursday, January 24, Donna Cousins--a city employee for 14 years, until July 2000, when she got fired from her administrative job at city council--took her case to the Seattle Civil Service Commission. While race wasn't the foremost issue at the hearing (Cousins, a 53-year-old black woman, is simply arguing that she was terminated without the due process accorded other city employees), racial politics is clearly simmering in her complaint. Cousins believes that despite doing good work for the council--Council Member Peter Steinbrueck had nominated Cousins for an employee award--her manager simply had a "problem" with her.
Turn It Over
Have you heard the one about the city owing $10,000 a day in fines until it turns over information about Seattle Police undercover informants to attorneys at MacDonald, Hoague & Bayless? (The firm is representing Central Area club Oscar's II in a lawsuit against the city for violating club owner Oscar McCoy's civil rights when it targeted his club in the mid-'90s.)
Here's the deal. On Thursday, January 17, King County Superior Court Judge Glenna Hall ordered the city to pay up until it turns over the info--info the city had previously been ordered to cough up. However, on Friday, January 18, the city convinced the State Court of Appeals to block the order. Unfortunately, according to McCoy's attorneys, the city never gave proper notice about appealing the King County Superior Court ruling. That's a no-no.
Overturn It
Never mind a five-to-four vote, once upon a time the city council voted 7-0 to repeal the Teen Dance Ordinance. Unfortunately, with Mayor Paul Schell in office and TDO advocate City Attorney Mark Sidran offering counsel, the TDO repeal was vetoed. Despite the initial 7-0 vote, Council Member Richard Conlin, who led the charge against the TDO, couldn't round up six stalwart votes to override.
However, Conlin doesn't need six votes anymore. With a new mayor in place (a mayor who told this paper that the TDO should be repealed), Conlin needs just five votes to pass the repeal again and to send it on for Nickels' signature.
