Ward 6 Alderman Roy A. Perkins warned municipal employees against getting caught up in political events during business hours after many Starkville department heads attended Ward 2 Alderman Lisa Wynn’s re-election announcement at City Hall Thursday.
Perkins called Wynn’s event “micromanagement and unlawful” after the first-term alderman requested department heads be present, but Wynn defended her actions by saying she only wanted the employees to hear her decision from its source.
Wynn notified The Dispatch first of her intention to hold an 11:40 a.m. meeting on Thursday to announce her political future and later announced the event – and the fact she requested city department heads to attend the meeting – on social media.
Upon learning of the meeting, Perkins said only the mayor, in the capacity of his day-to-day job functions laid out by statute, has the authority to direct city employees’ actions. Aldermen, the vice mayor said, can issue similar orders but only when a majority of the board approves the action at an appropriately called meeting.
“It is my legal opinion that an alderman does not have the authority to mandate, order or direct a department head or any other city employee to attend a session or any other function,” he said. “No department head should be attending any meeting, gathering or session pursuant to any directive of any alderman. That, in my opinion, is micromanagement, and any said directive is not proper and is unlawful.”
After Wynn’s announcement, Perkins called department heads’ attendance a “clear waste of time, resources and taxpayer money.”
“The city did not hire department heads to be attending a political rally or political function during the course of a day. It is my further opinion that all of these department heads should have been at their workstations performing the matters and things they were hired to do by the city of Starkville,” he said. “We cannot tolerate this. If you’re going to work, you work. If you want to attend a political rally, you find another job and do that during the course of the day.”
A 2010 opinion written by the Mississippi Attorney General’s office for an Itta Bena alderman states those elected officials “may not direct the daily activities of municipal employees or become involved in the direction of a department head. While an alderman is prohibited from ‘directing’ municipal employees, he may observe the operation of a municipal department for the purpose of reporting to the entire board, provided that the alderman is not involved in the daily operation of the department and is not making administrative decisions for the department.”
The Dispatch observed many of the key Starkville department heads at Wynn’s announcement, but missing from the group was Starkville Parks and Recreation Department Director Herman Peters. Perkins noted Peters’ absence and said it was “a strong sign of genuine leadership.”
‘I wasn’t asking for support’
Wynn, who ended growing speculation about a potential mayoral bid by announcing her Ward 2 candidacy, said she invited department heads to her announcement as a sign of respect.
Those city employees, she said, deserved to hear her choice from her, not others.
“I’m sorry the vice mayor may have discomfort with my…requesting the presence of department heads. I stated I was not asking for their support,” Wynn said after Thursday’s meeting. “I respect our department heads and didn’t want them to hear my announcement from anyone else. I did this at a time that is lunchtime for many of them.”
She then turned the focus back on Perkins and criticized the alderman for a perceived anti-business platform that political opponents could take advantage of in the coming election cycle.
“I would suggest that he address to his constituents why he does not and has not supported any economic measures that create jobs and create tax revenue. This would be prudent since I understand that there are several people considering running for alderman in his ward,” Wynn said. “This would be time well spent to address his anti-business voting record.”
Perkins’ and Wynn’s conflicting ideologies on economic development was last highlighted during Wynn’s push to secure a $1.35 million-maximum tax increment financing package for a Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market in east Starkville.
The TIF plan failed after multiple Wynn-led pushes, and the project is in limbo without a public subsidy that would have paid for the construction of an access road and signalization along Highway 12.
Perkins, who routinely votes against subsidizing some businesses because many local companies are founded without government handouts, was joined by other aldermen who said TIFs are now being used too often and outside their intended scope.
Carl Smith covers Starkville and Oktibbeha County for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @StarkDispatch
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