The Discrimination Resolution was never in doubt, because of the math. Hendricks proclaimed before the discussion that he would vote against it, and Affa often shares his sentiments on such things. Even if Napoli joined them, co-sponsors Zucal and Gerlach could count on Santos and Mota.
Before the Discrimination Issue reached discussion, Tuerk called on Karen Ocasio from HR to explain procedure on sick days. His introduction of her demonstrated that people of color were in positions of regard within city hall.
The meeting progressed through the various resolutions on the agenda, leaving the investigation of discrimination until last. When Karen Ocasio stood up again to speak, this time as an employee of color who felt victimized, I think that Hendricks and Tuerk knew that they had no chips left to play.
Photo shows Ocasio walking past Tuerk after testifying about what she felt as harassment in city hall.
ADDENDUM NOVEMBER 22, 2023: I've never used such a recent reprint before, but who would imagine Tuerk terminating Karen Ocasio so soon after her accusation of discrimination. The optics look so bad I must believe that Tuerk feels that he can document the justification. However, such a justification is lost on Councilman Ed Zucal, who has called for a vote of no confidence over the situation. Tuerk issued a response Tuesday afternoon that he doesn't participate in retaliatory practices.
I suspect that Matt and Ed are not sharing a holiday meal this week.
I am no fan of the current Mayor’s policies, and find most of his positions to be wrong, but I fail to see the purpose of a council vote of no confidence - other than politics.
ReplyDeleteThis is not the British parliament where a vote of no confidence triggers a new election. Council’s vote for such a measure would simply be symbolic.
However, it is an official act by Council and such a vote will certainly be used against the city by the lawyers of those employees claiming discrimination. That will not help the Allentown taxpayer.
While I generally find myself aligned with Zucal and the way he votes on Council, I couldn’t be more opposed to his course of action now.
Zucal (with the help of a majority on Council) has already launched an independent, taxpayer-funded investigation of the discrimination issue, and now seems to want to reach his own conclusion outside of it.
That’s wrong and counterproductive.
I’ve been a strong supporter of Zucal since he ran for Council, since he usually seems focused on making things better for the taxpayer. But this action seems personal and politically-motivated, and I have to wonder if he doesn’t have his own aspirations to be Mayor and is now putting himself first.
If so, Zucal should rethink his “no confidence” proposal and remember who he should be serving as a member of council.
Anyone Who knows Zucal for years isn't surprised by His Actions
DeleteOn the discrimination issue itself, this is why you don’t make “diversity hires”.
ReplyDeleteIf you hire someone because of their race, then it certainly follows that their dismissal can be construed as racially motivated.
If performance wasn’t the priority at the start, and you didn’t hire someone because they were the best person for the job, can you really fire them because they’re not performing to standards?
Objective measures of education and experience should be the only criteria considered when hiring someone, not their skin color. To have such a policy for any group is itself discriminatory, offensive and should have no place in modern society, especially government. It’s just plain wrong.
Finding the most qualified candidate available for any job is best for the taxpayers and city government. It is the only standard that should be followed, and what all city employees should be held to going forward.
I really like the 7:36 AM post! Accurate and well-written. When you hire for reason of diversity only, you open yourself up to all kinds of problems in removing/reassigning that individual. Even in the case of demonstrable proof of incompetence or failure.
ReplyDeleteNo one should accept a job believing they will be “safe” even if fail to perform in certain ways. I always believed most workers are hired at will of the person hiring them. There is no guaranteed tenure due to pigment only. What determines how long you remain on board is your ability to perform at whatever high standard is required by the person paying you.
When a toaster breaks, you remove it from the kitchen and try a new one.
It goes without saying that the only upside of this latest city government train wreck is that it provides more amusing reading to those living outside the city. This said, this new cabal between Ce-Ce and Zucal raises eyebrows and concerns. As with many others, who believed that the latter at least tried to do what was best for the city, he has now teamed up with the person who is doing her best to destroy it. Matt is the least of our concerns here, the charges against him are ridiculous. No serious person could for a moment entertain their validity. Conversely,the danger Ce-Ce poses to good government in the city cannot be overestimated and those who make alliance with such must be judged accordingly.
ReplyDelete7:36 am here: I just re-read my comment and wanted to clarify one point. My comment was not about Karen Ocasio, how she was hired, who hired her, or her skin color.
ReplyDeleteMy point remains that once the leader of any organization includes using "diversity" (such as skin color, gender, sexual orientation, etc.) in hiring, it changes the standards for all employees, whether they are new or have been there for years.
And anything that moves the standards of hiring further away from objective measures like education and prior experience, opens the city up to more exposure legally when employees are later fired or disciplined based on their performance, or even when some applicants aren't hired initially.
Once things like skin color become a stated factor in hiring, it is inevitable that they become an issue (fairly or unfairly) in how all aspects of employment are viewed.
Tuerk is now feeling the logical outcome of the system he supports and continues to expand, although I doubt he realizes that.
I agree with you. And it’s a tough lesson for government to learn. 501c3’s and ASD are learning this now. This also applies to gender and age. I personally know of a local situation where an administrator deliberately hired race and gender over education, and demonstrated ability. The staff couldn’t act beyond their own individual biases and the administrator was eventually canned. What a waste of both resources, effort, and other people’s money.
DeleteOne more comment on the "no confidence" vote proposal.
ReplyDeleteI find it ironic that this is being proposed while the city budget is still in play. I believe that after the failure to override the Mayor's veto, Council now has to December 31 to pass a final budget. I'm less certain if the current budget proposal stands at the 2% tax hike budget the Mayor suggested prior to council's "no tax hike" alternative they passed (that was vetoed), or if the budget reverts to the mayor's original 6% tax hike proposal. But that's another issue.
My point is that with the budget still in play, Councilman Zucal (and the rest of council) have more power than they do at any other time of the year. Instead of symbolic votes of no confidence, councilmembers should take the opportunity to address their policy concerns within the context of the budget.
As stated other comments, I believe that the Mayor's DEI initiatives will in fact result in more discrimination, additional lawsuits, and a general lowering of standards and performance for all city employees. If anyone on council believes the same (and also wants to lower the mayor's proposed tax hike), they should take the opportunity to cut some of the new DEI positions in the Mayor's budget. Or pull funding to other areas of the budget to get the Mayor's attention.
Fighting for that would be much more productive than a meaningless "no confidence" vote.
I support the Mayor's right to fire an at will employee, what does Zucal know about the day to day work environment and disposition of an employee. For Tuerk to fire any City employee, they must have been really bad. For him to fire a female minority ethnicity employee, she must have been really, really bad. I'd love to hear Tuerk's side of the story. After this debacle and the one with former HR Director Shahzad, perhaps even he is now wondering if Allentown ought to just hire the best candidate.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous 9:05: You are an astute outside observer, I was just thinking those thoughts myself. I could live with a modest 2% property increase if Zucal would join up with the other reasonable members of Council (Napoli/Affa), but to see him consistently allied with Gerlach on policy issues ought to scare all Allentown residents.
ReplyDeleteMayor Tuerk is really getting raked over the coals for exercising his right to terminate employment of one of the City employees and it’s not fair to him. It is impossible for anyone to know what goes on behind the walls of City Hall. If you’ve been paying attention to council during the last several years the HR dept has been and is a complete failure. It is clear that Mayor Tuerk inherited a problem with his Human Resources Dept and I applaud him for recognizing that there needed to be change. Maybe this entire Karen Ocasio mess was a result from him listening to the wrong people in the dept and Karen’s voice was silenced to the reality?
ReplyDeleteI do believe that Karen Ocasio was a victim of targeting, bullying, and systematic racism at the hands of the HR staff—NOT the Mayor. For that, I blame the lackluster leadership and — here is where the Mayor is culpable— a failure on the Mayors part to put a qualified and seasoned HR professional in the Director position to take control of the dept, stop the behavior, and hold people accountable.
Maybe HR needs to absorbed by one of the functional depts with strong leadership? The search for an HR Director is not producing anything good and has detracted from doing the good work for the Allentown citizens that this Administration and Council is trying to do. And Pass a damn budget with a modest increase in taxes to avoid sticker shock next year when they have no choice but to raise our taxes because this can was kicked down the road. This also means the Sustainability Coordinator and new positions and personnel raises need to be removed. You cant raise taxes and create more cost to the City.
To those commenting that support a “modest” tax hike to supposedly prevent a larger one in the future, that is a lie and you likely know it.
ReplyDeleteCity property tax revenue is not fixed and is projected to already increase in the 2024 budget due to new buildings and development. There is no need for a percentage increase on top of that (or on top of the “growth” increases in EIT or other tax and fee revenues)
A percentage increase just allows more wasteful spending by local government, and results in still larger increases in the future.
Remember, a “modest” 2% tax hike each year for 5 years is higher than just a 10% hike after 5 years. Why? Because you’re paying 2% more each year on an ever-increasing number. Don’t be fooled into thinking the smaller percentage is better.
City Hall has a spending problem, not a revenue problem.
I agree with Anonymous 5:27! City Hall spends OUR MONEY like a bunch of drunken sailors.
ReplyDeleteSince we had very little snowfall last year, that department should be very well funded. But in reality… I’ll bet you, that somehow they spent all their funds. Can’t tell you how many times I’ve noticed City plow trucks parked with motors running for hours… waiting for the first snowflakes to arrive.
One of the best untapped sources for labor is right under the City of Allentowns noses. Lehigh County Prison could provide a steady stream of workers to mow, pick up trash, collect leaves, shovel snow, cut down the weed wall along the banks of our streams through the Parks system. We could save a ton of MONEY!!!
As far as a new Fire station. There are plenty of old warehouses around the city that could be either torn down or retrofitted for a new station. In fact there is a large parcel of land on 15th St. between Gordon & Allen that I believe belongs to Nate Hyman. Perhaps, the City could elect him Mayor and name the station in his honor. Just think of the MONEY that would save if he donated the land and used it as a write off. Don’t get me started! I see soooo much waste when it comes to this City!
Don't get me started on waste in this once great city... the cash goes out by the boat-fulls courtesy of us boobus taxpayers... too bad we are powerless to quell it... they know what they're going to do in spite of us!!!
DeleteDon't remind us of the snow debacles we endure in this city... 2 lane roads with one lane barely open and cars plowed in on both sides by a half a lane of snow. Let us not forget year round street cleaning's BIG selling point was they could then be free of cars to plow... NEVER HAPPENED THAT WAY but did the ticket revenues go up??? Bet cha!!!.. follow the money in this corrupt city!!!
Notice how well they plow asphalt but drive with the plows up when snow is on the ground... the system is rigged!!!
Let's not get in to our non policing police... and I began to wonder about the fire department after they couldn't save one house out of a whole block... just another convenient method to clear out the downtown for further redevelopment???
I could continue, but why bother???