By Ray King
A motion to uphold the firing of a Pine Bluff Code Enforcement officer failed to win approval from the City Council’s Administration Committee Tuesday and will now go to the full council.
Council member Lloyd Holcomb Jr., the chairman of the committee made the motion to uphold Karla Willliams’ decision to fire Bray McDonald, who Holcomb said had received verbal and written warnings for his job performance and had been given a performance improvement plan which he failed to comply with.
Holcomb’s motion failed for lack of a second as Council Member Steven Mays said he wanted to overturn the firing of McDonald, who Mays said was the code enforcement officer for Ward 4 which he represents and had “done good.” Mays went on to say that McDonald had worked for at least three different code enforcement directors.
Mayor Shirley Washington agreed that McDonald had worked for three or four different supervisors but the concern was McDonald’s work performance.
“If he had done his job, the fourth ward would not be the most despicable ward (in the city),” Washington said.
Mays replied that every ward has problems with abandoned cars, tall grass and substandard houses but there are two council members for each ward and only one code enforcement officer. “He’s got a lot on his plate,” Mays said. “I call him and he’s there for me.”
Mays went on to talk about what he has done to clean up litter when he was interrupted by Holcomb who said to “get off the subject. It’s not about what you do.”
Council Member Glen Brown Sr., the third member of the committee who joined the Zoom meeting late said when someone’s job is at stake, the committee should be allowed to hear from that person.
Holcomb, who at the beginning of the meeting said its purpose was not to have a hearing but only to deal with the motion to support the decision to fire McDonald and that there would be no hearing Tuesday, a statement he made several times to Mays and Brown, who continued to argue about a hearing.
“We will not have a hearing today,” Holcomb said, “It will go before the full council.”
