Update: City wins.
Former Jackson Deputy Public Work Director Mary Carter will learn her fate in federal court today. Ms. Carter sued the city of Jackson for wrongful termination after she was fired in 2022. She claimed she was fired for talking to the media about the Public Works Department. WLBT reported last night:
Wednesday marked the third day of proceedings before U.S. District Court Judge Kristi Johnson, with the defense resting its case shortly before lunch. Attorneys for the city called three witnesses: former Public Works Director Robert Lee, Ward 7 Councilwoman Virgi Lindsay, and Amy McLeod, the current manager of the O.B. Curtis Water Treatment Plant for Jacobs Solutions..... “Marlin was not taking very serious steps to deal with the emergency at hand, to deal with the failure of the raw water pumps, which led to the boil water notice,” he (Lee) said. “There didn’t seem to be urgency... So, the discussion went from my concern about Marlin to the lack of urgency, to ‘Let’s get other team members in the room in a meeting.’”However, former Mississippi State Health Department employee Amy McLeod providing some rather damning testimony:
Defense attorneys also called McLeod, who is the assistant project manager over the Curtis plant. Before taking on that role, McLeod was with the Bureau of Public Water Supply at the Mississippi State Department of Health. While with the Bureau, she was involved in multiple inspections at Curtis between 2020 and August 2022 and had numerous interactions with Carter. She also sat in on calls with the city, state, and EPA after the federal regulatory agency issued an Administrative Compliance Order against the system in 2021. During those interactions, she said Carter was unresponsive to requests to address inspectors’ findings. She also was unable to answer questions from EPA officials when asked. Deputy City Attorney Jason Nabors: “Was she helpful?” McLeod: “Not typically.” Nabors: “Was she responsive to fix problems?” McLeod: “No.” She said Carter offered much the same after emergency officials took over the plant during the 2022 crisis. Nabors: “Did she contribute?” McLeod: “No” Nabors: “Was she someone the emergency team could count on when they needed help or things to be done?” McLeod: “No.” Nabors: “Do you believe Ms. Carter had the knowledge and skill to work successful as a Class A operator?” McLeod: “No.” Attorney Robert Norris asked McLeod whether she was aware that Carter’s operations and maintenance budget had been cut by tens of millions of dollars.
On Tuesday, Carter said she couldn’t do maintenance at the plant because her budget had been cut from $72 million in 2013 to $48 million in 2022. Rest of article.
The jury is expected to return a verdict today.
9 comments:
Are there any attorneys in this town who do enough due diligence to counsel clients against suits like this? Who is going to hire this lady with the public record of this case living forever on the internet?
Being fired for being incompetent and being fired for talking to the press are not mutually exclusive. She could have been a useless slug that needed firing. Rather than fire her, they demoted her and were giving her an opportunity to get with the program. But, airing their dirty laundry was the last straw.
8:45
All the attorney is looking for (as well as the plaintiff) is a quick settlement. The evidence tells the same old tale: A lazy employee who doesn't give a shit about anything but quitting time.
Our government is packed full of these types. All receiving guaranteed salaries, sick days, personal days, PERS retirements and all of the health insurance they can burn up. Plus, the safety nets of workman's comp and lord knows what else.
Jackson Jambalaya uncovered the emergency EPA warning that Chokwe his for a year. He did not even share it with the council members. That being said, who can believe anything coming from his administration.
I microcosm of COJ employees-
8:45, you clearly aren't an attorney if you think Louis Watson is a slacker.
Amy McLeod has always had a good reputation. I've dealt with her for many years. She was always professional, easy to get along with, and always willing to provide help. She didn't want to punish you. She wanted to help you get your system in the best condition possible, to provide the best service and cleanest water possible. If Amy says Mary wasn't doing her job, I can believe Amy.
Welp.. they ruled against her. Now taxpayers will only have to pay for the wasted time and attorney's fees and not a settlement. This administration needs to be GONE.
This butt-hurt, racist mayor sucks ass. No pun intended.
Wow, the city won a case in court? HMMMM, who da thunk it.
Sincerely,
Jackson International Airport
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