Stirring city politics and putting the city manager鈥檚 job at risk is a report from Riviera Beach Mayor Ronnie Felder.
is a collection of complaints from 33 employees or former employees who agreed to air criticism of their managers in exchange for assurances they would not face retaliation.
However, the report does not offer the other side. The two bosses most prominently maligned, and his top lieutenant, , were not interviewed.
on the council, Evans鈥� grip on a 3-2 majority could be in jeopardy. The council agreed last week to hold a special meeting to discuss the report.
Felder acknowledged the report鈥檚 biggest shortcoming in a he posted from his home.
READ MORE: 'It was covered up': Residents lash at Riviera Beach Council over water quality scandal
鈥淭hose folks (Evans and Jacobs) have the opportunity to come and clear their name,鈥� the mayor said. 鈥淏ut I tell you this. There are 33 employees. And I refuse to believe that all 33 employees are telling a lie.鈥�
Directing his comments to the workers, he said, 鈥淚 want you to know I鈥檓 going to champion for you guys, right? If we鈥檙e gonna go down, I鈥檓 gonna go down with you. But we鈥檙e gonna go down fighting.鈥�
The interviews, conducted by Felder and , describe cliques of employees 鈥渋n the sandbox鈥� under Jacobs鈥� control unfairly gaining advantage over employees 鈥渙ut of the sandbox,鈥� or at odds with Jacobs.
Many said they complained directly to Evans but saw no change.
鈥淓mployees reported that the City Administration has created a culture of bullying, intimidation, retaliation, isolation, unfair treatment, fear and professional inefficiency,鈥� the report said.
鈥� the people in the sandbox routinely skip over the chain of command and go directly to Deirdre Jacobs,鈥� the report said. 鈥淪he provides instructions or gives them directives which they carry out, without notifying their supervisors and department heads in the chain of command. Since the people in the sandbox are protected by Jacobs, they are often insubordinate to their superiors, because they know they will not be held accountable if their supervisors attempt to discipline them.鈥�
Evans doesn鈥檛 stop it, the report said, citing employees who said he fears Jacobs because she had the support of the three women on the City Council: KaShamba Miller-Anderson, Shirley Lanier and Botel, now replaced by Spiritis.
Disturbing reports from the water plant
The infighting included harrowing accounts from the city鈥檚 troubled , which oversees a water treatment system that has drawn fines from health officials, vociferous complaints from residents and the recent removal of its director.
Felder said in his Facebook video that he expects another 151 violations from the Health Department.
The city is planning to spend $300 million on a new plant.
The water plant manager, Melvin Pinkney, complained that he is overwhelmed by the task of keeping the water plant operating.
鈥淢elvin repeatedly stated that the responsibility to keep the plant running was his, and he felt extremely overwhelmed and overburdened with the responsibility,鈥� the report said.
Others said Pinkney plays favorites and retaliates against them.
- One described 鈥渢wo malfunctioning lift stations that are spilling sewage at the beach.鈥�
- Another said workers have to 鈥渞ig stuff鈥� themselves when equipment breaks to keep the plant running.
- Another said he advised against putting a well back online after just one clean sample, but Pinkney overruled him, 鈥渞esulting in the recently publicized bacteria issue.鈥�
This story was originally published by , a SA国际传谋 News partner.
