Jonesboro City Council votes to uphold the firing of the city’s director of information systems
by February 22, 2017 6:18 am 510 views
The Jonesboro City Council voted 11-1 Tuesday night to uphold Mayor Harold Perrin’s decision to fire IT Director Erick Woodruff. Perrin recused himself from an appeal hearing requested by Woodruff, and city council members adjourned into a nearly three hour long executive session. Alderman Chris Moore presided over the executive session as the acting mayor. Alderman David McClain cast the lone dissenting vote.
“I have no comment,” Woodruff told Talk Business & Politics after meeting.
Talk Business & Politics has requested Woodruff’s personnel file, which is a public record according to the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act. Arkansas law stipulates that a public employee’s personnel file can become a public record if that person is fired or forced to resign.
Woodruff was initially terminated Jan. 9, but remained on the city’s payroll until Jan. 27 following an appeal to Perrin which he denied. The mayor has issued no public statements about the firing, and the city’s Communications Director Bill Campbell previously told Talk Business & Politics the mayor will not release any statements until the entire appeals process is completed.
Campbell said the city will comply with the numerous FOI requests filed in the matter, but city attorney Carol Duncan will review the file first to make sure there is no information in the file that cannot be released, per state law. Once the examination is complete, Woodruff could ask the Arkansas Attorney General’s Office for an opinion about the release of the file. The AG’s office would then have three days to render a recommendation.
It’s not clear if Woodruff intends to file a lawsuit against the city. None of the aldermen spoke about what was discussed during the closed door session. Woodruff has been with the city since 2007.
In other business, the council voted unanimously to remove a 10-year limitation on property owned by Quinn Aviation. The agriculture aviation company asked the city in 2008 to annex a swath of property, including the company’s runway into the city. In return, the company said they would move their operations within 10 years.
Former Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel told aldermen that Quinn Aviation is a client of his, and the owners are trying to sell the property for $3.2 million. But, the limitation might make it harder to sell, and it will cost the company about $1.2 million to relocate their business into rural Craighead County.
“It’s creating pressure on their business and its employees,” McDaniel said.
Dr. Jim Sanders, who lives near the airstrip in southwest Jonesboro pleaded with council members to make Quinn adhere to the original agreement. He said the constant flow of air traffic at the landing strip will inhibit future growth in the city.
“You’re going to have an airstrip in the middle of Jonesboro for the rest of your life if you don’t vote this down … your going to be sorry for a long, long time,” he said.
Alderman Moore said he sympathized with Sanders’ position, but the city hadn’t placed this kind of condition on any other business operating in the city. McDaniel also noted there have been about 1,000 houses built in the area since 2008, and many were built during the Great Recession.