A grant application submitted Wednesday without the city council’s permission has the city grant writer in hot water.

In a nearly one-hour executive session of a special-call meeting Thursday morning at City Hall, the council voted to instruct the human resources director and chief operations officer to form a recommendation regarding the job performance of Susan Wilder and submit it to the council by its Feb. 17 meeting.

The public announcement of the vote did not specifically name Wilder, the city’s grant writer since June. But Wilder appeared before the council during the executive session, and Mayor Keith Gaskin confirmed to The Dispatch afterward that Wilder’s job performance was discussed.

“It should have never happened. It didn’t have to happen. They chose to do that,” Gaskin said, noting he did not believe the hearing was fair. “… Susan is an excellent employee. It was unfortunate that she was put in a position like this.”

At issue is the city’s application for a Green Capital Municipal Investment Fund Market Building Grant, which is part of the American Green Bank Consortium. The grant helps cities develop plans for public-private partnerships that will accelerate projects associated with clean air and water. The $250,000 first phase award, which two cities in each state will receive, is for planning and does not require matching funds.

Wilder, alongside mayoral candidate Darren Leach, first presented the opportunity Jan. 30 at a city council work session. At Tuesday’s regular council meeting, she rehashed the details and noted Wednesday was the deadline to apply.

Vice Mayor Joseph Mickens, who represents Ward 2, moved to table the application so City Attorney Jeff Turnage could review it. Ward 6 Councilwoman Jacqueline DiCicco offered a substitute motion to go ahead and submit it, which failed by a 4-2 vote. Mickens’ original motion was never revisited. Because of that, Turnage advised there was technically “no official action” taken on the matter, per Robert’s Rules of Order.

That technicality kept Gaskin from vetoing the vote. He tried to call a council meeting for another vote before the 5 p.m. Wednesday deadline to submit the grant application but could not get a quorum. Failing a revote, Gaskin ordered the application submitted anyway, without council consent.

“My decision was … when they take no action, and I’m the CEO of the city, I can move forward on something like that if I choose,” Gaskin said.

Gaskin said he consulted Turnage on whether he had that authority and Turnage “didn’t disagree.” He recommended Gaskin put that decision in writing, which he did in an email to the council.

Turnage doesn’t remember the conversation that way.

“I did not tell him he had the authority to go ahead and do it,” Turnage told The Dispatch. “I told him, ‘You’d really be putting (Wilder) between a rock and a hard place’ and I did tell him he should put it in writing to at least give her some cover.”

Gaskin said he submitted the grant application himself to keep Wilder “from being harassed by the council.”

“I think it’s a sad day when you’re trying to keep a good employee safe who is following the direction of the CEO of the city,” Gaskin said.

‘Let the grant (application) go on through’

Tuesday’s council meeting started with a 3-2 vote to allow the grant to go forward.

Ward 1 Councilwoman Ethel Stewart, Ward 3 Councilman Rusty Greene and Ward 6 Councilwoman Jacqueline DiCicco were the three yes votes. Pierre Beard and Stephen Jones, of Wards 4 and 5, respectively, opposed.

Mickens, as vice mayor, presided over the meeting since Gaskin was absent at the outset. That role kept Mickens from voting, but he did say his peace.

“The application has been submitted despite a ‘no’ vote from the council,” he said. “… At this time, I will support that decision. … Let the grant (application) go on through … because it’s already been submitted. I would not want to risk any negative effect (on the city) by pulling the grant right now.”

That does not mean the city has to accept the money if it is approved for the grant, Mickens noted.

“We get that money, it’s going to be hard to turn that down,” he said.

About a half-hour into the executive session that followed, Wilder arrived at City Hall and Gaskin accompanied her into the courtroom where the council was meeting.

Roughly 20 minutes later, she walked out of the courtroom in tears. Beard ushered her into a nearby office to gather herself. After that, a police investigator escorted her from City Hall.

Wilder declined to comment when The Dispatch reached her Thursday afternoon.

When the council emerged from executive session, Mickens was still presiding over the meeting and Gaskin was seated in the gallery.

Though council members would not discuss the details of the executive session, both Beard and Jones spoke to their objections to supporting the grant application after the fact.

“Our wish was to not put it through,” Beard told The Dispatch after the meeting. “It was pushed through and it shouldn’t have been.”

Jones said voting to support the grant now sets a bad precedent.

“It should have happened decent and in order,” he said. “You can’t reward bad behavior.”

Gaskin told The Dispatch he missed the first part of the meeting because it conflicted with a staff meeting he holds at 9 a.m. each Thursday. He told the council to “pick another time.” Instead, the council proceeded without him.

“They are trying to run the day-to-day operations of the city,” Gaskin said of the entire ordeal. “… They are being petty, in my opinion.”

Zack Plair is the managing editor for The Dispatch.