THE OVERPAYMENT IS IN BLACK AND WHITE …
Dear Readers… After Tuesday night’s meeting and the Interim Town Manager’s report the decision and direction was made for the Town to recoup the overpayment of compensation to former Town Manager Esther Colon.
The Sentinel did a follow-up posted tonight on their website (see below)…with a second “no comment.” from Ms. Colon and the comment from the Town Atty. that we will just ask for it first…Hmmm…
Verbatim from the Oct. 12, 2009 Special Workshop Town Manager performance Review … … Posted 10/13/09…
“Town Manager Colon-“Thank you Mayor, I know I am not on the agenda to speak but I would like to clarify some issues for the record and most of them I’ll do from just listening to everybody.”
“First let me explain something. I was not hired by the five members of the commission on this dais. I was hired by the five members of the prior sitting commission. I do want you to understand and you can check the record and you can subpoena the previous commission as well as you can subpoena me. My contract was reviewed independently by each sitting commissioner with the Town Attorney. My contract was motioned first motion to approve by Mayor ProTem Chuck Clark. It was second by Commissioner Yann Yanni, it was, excuse me John Yanni. It was approved 5-0. I read an article in the Futures paper and the only commissioner or the only elected official that was truthful in that article was mayor Oliver Parker. Mayor Parker did not like my severance position and like always I like a good little argument. He did not like a one year severance package. I said I worked too hard in this town during the broom sweep campaign. I’m sorry commissioners it was, we got locked out of Town Hall when you won so I was there. I said if that is any indication of what the residents are gonna do during election time I am not gonna put my heart and soul to run the day to day operations of this town unless I have a contract I’m worthy of. I believe I, at that time I had thirty years of public service and that is a contract that five independent commissioners reviewed with the Town Attorney, did not violate any Sunshine Laws and that is the contract they approved. Two of those sitting commissioners are currently on this dais.”
“A couple of months ago this commission started to divide , the residents started to divide. They believe they can use me as a sounding board. I will go and work with Robert Baldwin any day without a problem for one reason. Robert Baldwin never told me what to do, how to do it. All he told me was as long as you obey the law, you do what you’re supposed to do. I have always done that in my 30+ years as a public servant. I have one fault and I have criticized this commission publicly once, only once. I have not been disrespected this commission. I have been disrespected by many residents on this dais and I have told you all I like you, I don’t like you but I’m gonna come here and do my job and if there’s one thing I will not allow anyone to do. And when I say anyone I mean my brother, my sister, my father , my mother God rest they’re all in peace, I’m not gonna break the law. The one time that I disrespected this commission was when they gave me a unlawful order. Do we remember that commissioners? And I told them you can direct me to do that and I’m not gonna do it. If that’s bein’ disrespectful and rude well then I’d like to see anyone in this commission put in this audience purposely disrespect the law. I am not a puppet. If you all think that Vice Mayor McIntee tells me what to do, boy you haven’t seen some of our good fights. I will agree to disagree with everybody that’s sittin’ on this dais and everybody that’s sittin’ in the audience and my staff who’s sittin’ up there who’s not even a third of them but boy do we have great arguments everyday too. I’ll tell you one thing that none of you know about me is I am a very fair person. You might come to my office and not like what I have to say. I’m sorry, I believe in black and white. There’s no gray. And if that style does not approve or agree with you well then I believe I requested Commissioner Dodd once to make a motion to terminate my contract. I believe that was the day the vote of confidence came and it was 5-0. Even Commissioner Dodd voted, gave me a vote of confidence. I said Commissioner Dodd if you don’t think I’m doin’ a good job then vote to terminate my contract. I don’t have a lifetime contract. Whoever keeps on inventing that story, I’m not a Supreme Court Judge. I’m a human individual like everybody else. If you don’t like me there’s nothing I can do about it. I’m gonna come here, I am gonna do my job and the only thing I ask and I’m sorry if I do have a problem with that word and many others, is that people don’t try to coerce me because it’s not gonna work. I am gonna do here and do my job until this commission or the next commission wants to do it be the Town Manager and I pray to God that whoever follows suit does not allow any resident or any elected official play political games. Because that is what I’m all about. Thank you.”
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Standout comments from Former TM Colon contained above …
“and you can subpoena the previous commission as well as you can subpoena me.”
“I will go and work with Robert Baldwin any day without a problem for one reason. Robert Baldwin never told me what to do, how to do it. All he told me was as long as you obey the law, you do what you’re supposed to do. I have always done that in my 30+ years as a public servant.”
“if there’s one thing I will not allow anyone to do. And when I say anyone I mean my brother, my sister, my father , my mother God rest they’re all in peace, I’m not gonna break the law.”
“I’m sorry, I believe in black and white. There’s no gray.”
BC- We will now see if there is any “gray” Ms. Colon now believes in ….when Ms. Colon is “asked” by the Town to reimburse us for her overpayment …thus far…
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Sentinel …..
“Lauderdale-by-the-Sea seeks partial return of former town manager’s severance pay
The town commission unanimously authorized the town attorney to recover $69,308 from former Town Manager Esther Colon.
The amount is part of $296,188 in severance payments made to Colon the same week of her April 20 dismissal.
Interim Town Manager Connie Hoffmann alleged in a May 20 report that there were errors in calculating Colon’s benefit payments for deferred compensation and accumulated sick and vacation leave.
Reached at her Miami Lakes home, Colon would not comment on the town’s inquiry.
“We’ll probably start off just by asking for it and see what happens,” Town Attorney Susan Trevarthen said. “Obviously it’s a matter of great importance to the commission. We’ll seek to resolve this as quickly as possible.”
more to come….
Tags: Lauderdale By The Sea Seeks Overpayment From Former Town Manger Esther Colon, local government, Local Politics, News, Scoops, Web News
