Update some more: Alderman Meyer posted over on SoLo (down towards the bottom of the comments) saying that according to his records, the COLA raise was never approved. Personally I suspect the QCTimes was wrong on this, but anymore I really don't know. If after ALL of this, it turns out Malin was entitled to the raise, there should really be some repercussions.
Anonymous said...
The editorial page of Sunday's QCT states that Malin's pay was budgeted at $156,801 in December of 2005 and this included COLA's.
I am really confused now, did Malin receive more than the approved amount? It now looks like he was paid the proper amount that was approved by the council.
If Malin received the correct amount the City of Davenport is in for one tremendous lawsuit.
Here's a link to the QCTimes article that mentions the budgeted amount as $156,801.
What the hell is going on here?
Update: I moved this to the top because its considerably more important than my nighttime errands.
11 comments:
What amazes me is that no one is commenting on this on the QC Times web site, or here. Where are all the "anti-Malins" now?? Like Bob McGivern said, this city owes him an apology.
Maybe. Maybe not.
I get the feeling that if you ask Tom Saul and the editorial board the same factual question, you'd get 2 different answers.
We'll see if anything comes of this.
This latest revelation pertaining to the COLA's cetainly leaves a lot of unanswered questions:
Why did Thee and Warner write an opinion that Malin was in violation of his contract by taking the COLA? Is the legal department this incompetent that they cannot research a simple item like a pay raise or was the legal opinion part of the bigger vendetta against Malin? I have always been opposed to outsourcing the legal department, but maybe it's time to take another look at it. This blunder could end up costing the city a great deal more than outsourcing would.
Why wasn't the Human Resources Director aware of the COLA? I always thought that pay and benefits was part of his job.
Why wasn't Guard aware of the COLA, was everyone asleep at the switch when this item was approved?
Why didn't the returning alderman (Meyer, Howard, Barnhill and Lynn)who were at the meeting where the COLA was approved say something? This whole fiasco could have been avoided if one of them had spoken up.
Why didn't then Mayor Brooke who presided at the meeting where the COLA was approved say something? Like him or not Brooke is a smart man and would remember something like this. Was he just sitting on the sidelines and giving The Hammer and a couple of the other alderman enough rope to hang themselves?
I am not trying to fix blame on any one individual or group of individuals but the way this whole thing went down really stinks. I just hope that the council does an appropriate investigation of this matter and if Malin is truly innocent of any wrong doing that he be vindicated in full.
I am also told the HR Director Dolan told the council they disagree with legals viewpoint.
Not sure what role Alan G. had in this, but he is just the #'s guy.
Let's see, Mary Thee + 6 elected (all with known desire to see Malin go bye-bye).
Who called this a public lynching?
A budgeted amount is exactly that. It's budgeted but that doesn’t mean approved to pay that amount. The potential to pay that amount is there but only if the council approves the pay increases. I didn't see anywhere where the council approved the COLA's. So WTF are you all talking about?
QCI jumping the gun again! Get your head out of your butt kid.
12:15- read the article in the QCT, the council reconvened in open session and APPROVED the pay raises as part of the consent agenda. It appears that you are the one with your head in the wrong place.
This from SOLO Blog under the Linden heading. Meyer passes along comments from Mary Thee "The budgeted salary amount is irrelevant to whether the contract provides for COLA”s."
So the next question is if the council was presented a budget with $156,000 salary for Malin is this an attempt to defraud the council?
QCT editorial includes this blub:
"Malin’s salary was budgeted at $156,801 in December to include cost-of-living raises. The council met in closed session Dec. 15 and approved extending union-negotiated raise percentages to specifically named department heads, including the city administrator. All but 5th Ward Alderman Bill Lynn were present. The council reconvened in open session to approve the raises as part of a consent agenda with other items. It passed 9-1 with only 3rd Ward Alderman Keith Meyer objecting."
Alderman Meyer why did you vote no?
What the Col. seems to forget in blindness of defending Malin is that Malin's own lack of professionalism is what caused people to start reacting. It wasn't the first story on this. It was his stupid idea to have a press release that he was donating it to charity. THAT is what ticked people off. Then his interview on channel six was also ugly. The man has been his own worst nightmare in this situation.
If he was right, he just should produce the documents that show he's right. Instead he stutters and stammers and comes up with an idea that not only made him look guilty but also cavalier with taxpaper dollars.
Enough with the lynching talk. Malin's own behavior in this matter has hurt his image more than anything else. The reputation he is getting is one he deserves. I don't even care about the money, I care about having a representative of the city that behaves professionally. This man does not. The way he handled this was proof he is not a leader.
I actually admired him and supported him until I watched him handle this debacle. Now I just want to see someone else lead our city that is qualified to do the job with some dignity and common sense.
I can't really disagree when it comes to him not handling this very well.
On the other hand though, you have to appreciate what a crappy position he's in. Even allegations of wrongdoing get into the media, create a big controversy, and possibly lead to him going somewhere else? Then whoever gets him next does a Google search and finds all this, probably causing him to be paid less or not hired at all.
Combined with being stuck attempting to administer the sometimes crazy ideas of the council, its a rough job.
I also read the Des Moines Register and when they broke the story about the pay scandal in the job training agency it was done with a high degree of professionalism. They had their facts substantiated by hard copy and interviews with a number of individuals who were involved.
Contrast that to the reporting job done by the QCT who will pick up on any rumor and make it headline news. If the QCT wants to be known as the tabloid of Iowa so be it but as far as I am concerned I will take anything they report with a grain of salt and they can stick their paper where the sun don't shine.
Tom Saul should be relegated to a position that fits his abilities, perhaps the obits would work.
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