Gary Rawlings came under fire for allegedly suggesting that Coatesville's council votes along racial lines.
Move follows alleged, racially-divisive remarks
By Kathleen Brady Shea, Managing Editor, CoatesvilleTimes.com
COATESVILLE — A specially-called City Council meeting last night focused on personnel changes, most notably the administrative leave of the city manager.
Without explanation, the council voted 7-0 to put Gary Rawlings on paid administrative leave and give Kirby Hudson, the assistant manager, a day-to-day contract to serve as acting city manager.
After the meeting, Council President Ed Simpson said he could not comment on the reason or the expected duration of the Council’s actions; however, when asked whether the move stemmed from recently publicized comments made by Rawlings, Simpson agreed that residents could “connect the dots.”
At the May 14 council meeting, Rawlings responded to criticism about some racially-charged remarks he admitted making during a meeting with department heads. He said his statement, which drew a distinction between the votes of African-American and Caucasian members of the council, was taken out of context.
The city council is made up of four African-American members – C. Arvilla Hunt, David Collins, Ingrid Jones and Jarrell Brazzle, and three Caucasian members – President Edward Simpson, Vice President Joseph Hamrick and Jeffrey LoPrinzi.
At the time, Hunt took issue with the suggestion that the council voted along racial lines, and Collins vowed that council would investigate the matter and take “rapid and swift action” if needed.
Rawlings, who was hired in May 2011, also generated criticism last summer when he asked council whether living close to, but not within Coatesville, would violate his contract, which specifies that he reside within the city limits. He was told that it would but signed a year’s lease, anyway, explaining that he could not find a suitable city rental.
Last night, Simpson emphasized that the decision to place Rawlings on administrative leave did not generate any dissent. “There is no division … and we will continue to move in a positive direction,” he said. “We want to be clear it was unanimous.”
Agreement over placing Police Chief M. Julius Canale and Lt. Rita Shesko on day-to-day contracts – until month-to-month ones can be drafted – was not as united. Both of the city’s two top officers accepted the early-retirement option but offered to stay on the job until permanent replacements can be found. The vote for Canale was 6-1, for Shesko, 4-3.
Simpson said that contrary to rumors, the arrangement does not involve “double-dipping.” He said both will receive 70 percent of their pay through their pensions, and the city will kick in the extra 30 percent while they work through the transition period.
Simpson said the city hired John Marcarelli, who has been working on a contract basis, as finance director at a salary of $79,000. That position has been vacant since Stacy Bjorhus was terminated in December.
The council parted ways on whether to consider paying Bruce Mowday, who owns a public-relations firm and charges $125 an hour, to handle publicity for the city. “We’re trying to find ways to save money,” said Hunt, suggesting that the expense was unnecessary. The motion to add the item to the agenda was defeated 5-2.
The council shifted back into agreement mode, voting 7-0 to approve the rental of the Ash Park pool on Monday and Wednesday from 11 a.m. to noon for the CYMA summer camp.
