Ethan Knowlden
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By Ethan Knowlden | Scottsdale
Tonight (July 1), the Scottsdale City Council will meet and likely accept the "resignation" of City Attorney Sherry Scott.
Observers may infer that Ms. Scott was asked to resign. She negotiated six months of severance in exchange for releasing claims she may have against the city. Payments made in exchange for a release is standard practice and may possibly be part of her original employment agreement.
Two things stand out, however. First, the non-disparagement section (a standard pledge to not say anything "bad") lists each current city council member by name despite their inclusion within the "current elected officials" language of the section. Was this addition made at the request of one of those elected officials, and, if so, why?
Second, Ms. Scott's resignation continues the painful, and costly for taxpayers, habit of this majority council’s purging of expert voices at City Hall. The list is long: Bill Murphy, Brent Stockwell, Dan Worth, Mark Melnychenko. Each individual loss adds up to over 100 years of institutional knowledge. Elected council members come and go, but rank-and-file employees historically weather those elections.
Past Councils understood their value and expertise. The resulting upheaval now extends to city staff, who appear to work in fear, knowing voicing anything but full support of the majority council's agenda risks their livelihoods.
The expense? Severance payments and continued salaries for employees told to stay home until their resignations become effective is, in my opinion, our taxpayer dollars handed out to pay for silence. Don’t be fooled into thinking these are "cost-saving" moves. Luis Santella will receive a $300K+ salary to serve as interim city attorney. Given the wounds this majority council is inflicting upon the city, any candidate for the permanent job will surely ask for more.
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