In a memorandum dated November 8, 2006, Henderson City Council member Mary Emma Evans tendered her resignation as the chair of the Council’s Human Resources Committee.
In the memo, Evans states that “things have changed” since she began her first term with a different Council, specifically her chairing of the Human Resources Committee. She stated that her personnel concerns are being ignored by the Council.
Evans also claimed in the memo that “it has become a nightmare for me to even mention or to try to get an understanding of City policy concerning personnel without being attacked by certain people on the Council”.
When asked in a telephone interview if she would continue to serve on the commmittee, Evans responded, “I will continue to work as a city council-person — just be a member of the council attending meetings.”
Evans also said that she would like to see Henderson City Council member Bernard Alston take over as chair of the committee if he would attend the meetings.
“I don’t know what his take on that would be,” she said.
It was the issue of back pay for Assistant City Manager Mark Warren that moved Evans to submit her resignation from her chair and her committee.
Warren served as Acting City Manager from December 5, 2005 until January 12, 2006, when Jerry Moss took over as Interim City Manager. According to Evans, he has never been paid at the City Manager rate for the time he performed those duties and is entitled to additional compensation.
Evans learned yesterday that Warren will not receive any back pay for services he rendered as Acting City Manager.
The former chair of the Human Resources Committee also said that she cannot work on behalf of city employees if they [the other members of the council] are not going to be fair. She stated emphatically that she does not favor any particular employees, but rather that she just wants fairness in city government, and that it is not being done.
Evans said she would rather turn the task of chairing the committee over to other members “to see if they can do it a little better”.
“I’m not angry,” Evans said, “just disappointed in them. Our employees deserve better.”
Read Evan’s resignation memo here.