City comments on McDonald termination

A statement issued by the city claims that former Director of Community Services Marty McDonald was dismissed by the city due to his inability to change his management style and consistently comply with the city’s policies and procedures.

According to the statement, city manager Kevin Evans’ concerns with McDonald included, but were not limited to, hostile communications with citizens, disparaging remarks about co-workers, mismanagement of various city projects, violations of the purchasing code and a general failure to consistently follow the rules, regulations and policies of the city.

The city initially attempted to negotiate a severance agreement with McDonald but, after finding additional serious issues regarding his employment, pulled out of discussions and terminated McDonald on Aug. 7, nearly four months after he was first put on leave.

City directors are at-will employees and can be terminated for little to no reason.

However, according to the statement, McDonald’s indictment for fraudulent schemes, which was made public on May 29, 2009, had nothing to do with the city’s decision to place McDonald on leave and ultimately terminate him.

McDonald was indicted for the charges one day after he was placed on administrative leave by the city, a move that McDonald’s lawyer, Clair Lane, has called suspicious.

Lane went as far as to run the scenario by an in-house jury, who, Lane said, found that McDonald’s termination and the charges were related.

Evans said in the release that since becoming city manager he worked with McDonald to assist him with the changes required, but he did not feel that McDonald made the changes necessary to be an effective director for the city.

The release said the city is appreciative of all the good things McDonald and his department accomplished with the city, and, despite fraud charges being dropped against McDonald, a change of direction was necessary.