![[SeMissourian.com]](http://www.t-g.com/images/nameplate.png)
RSS
Print
Email link
Respond to editor
Read comments (34)
Share link
del.icio.us
Digg
StumbleUpon
Technorati
Newsvine
Facebook
Furl
Reddit
GoogleAt the end of a brief and uneventful study session, councilman Al Stephenson asked that the matter of Craig's contract be put on next Thursday's agenda. The council meets at 6 p.m. in the courtroom at the Shelbyville Police Department.
However, nothing else was said about the matter and the council adjourned shortly afterwards.
The issue of Craig's employment arose suddenly on Monday, when the city manager was given a letter from four council members that stated he was fired.
Stephenson said Monday he first asked Craig to resign and, when Craig refused, gave him the termination letter.
The letter was signed by Stephenson, Lee Roy Cunningham, Thomas Landers and Jean Pruitt.
However, city attorney Ginger Shofner told the council a few hours later that the action was invalid since no public meeting was held and no notice given.
The letter to Craig stated that council members have "the responsibility and authority to hire and terminate city managers.
"Since we are vested with that authority, it is our duty to inform you that your services as Shelbyville City Manager are no longer required, effective immediately," the letter said.
Any pay that is owed to Craig "will be reviewed by the Shelbyville City Council members," the letter stated.
Craig has a total salary of $79,955 a year, according to city documents.
The employment agreement with Craig states that he can be terminated for "just cause," defined as the commission of any felonious act, illegal act involving personal gain or "malfeasance, misfeasance, or neglect of duty as set forth in the city charter of the City of Shelbyville."
The contract states that if Craig is terminated, or resigns at the city's request, then the city would agree to pay him his regular salary for six months and to continue payment of retirement benefits, as well as health, life and other insurance benefits.
However, if Craig was fired or resigned for "just cause," then the city would have no obligation to pay the severance or benefits.
According to the contact, which was amended in 2007 after an attempt by Stephenson and Cunningham to not renew Craig's contract, the city shall provide Craig 90 days notice of its intent not to renew the employment agreement.
If the notice is not provided in advance of Craig's employment term, which ends April 1, 2010, then the contract will remain in full force and extended an additional 90 days from the date that written notice is given by the city.
Note: The nature of the Internet makes it impractical for our staff to review every comment. If you feel that a comment is offensive, please
Ain't small town politics a hoot?
It is! What a can of worms they have opened! You know, if a mans livelihood wasn't at stake, not to mention the liability issues these men may have brought on the city, it would be pretty comical.
But the fact remains, there was a legal process to follow and these four acted rashly.
what stands out to me here is there must be a reason for these four people to feel this way about Mr. Craig and until all the reasons can be told we should not bash them. they may be just looking out for our best interests.
Mr Craig has always been cordial to me and knowledgeable on any matter that I have brought up to him. He has a very stressful job and one that not many would want or be qualified to fill. It never looks good to industries, shopping depts, or restaurants that might be interested in your city, when you have turnover such as this.
nanax5-
Thank goodness someone with some sense figured that out! It will all come out sooner or later why this was being done!
Thank you for being nice and understanding that there is a reason for what they do-
Should every tax-paying citizen be concerned about what all of this could lead to in lawsuits? Just a thought.
I live in the county. We have some sore losers that can't let things go. I still remember the comments on the radio by the Mayor when Mrs. Smith was elected Mayor. Mr. Craig has done a fine job. I wonder how Mr. Cunningham and the former Mayor got Mr. Landers and Miss Pruit to vote thier way. The city voters need to think about this in th next election. Our city needs to go forward.
Sure was surprised to hear about this. Especially since everyone has heard and knows about the Sunshine laws of our state. I will remember those connected to the letter at election time. Fair is fair, do it above board. No one can argue with shown respect for our laws and proper process. I think it is time for the courts to take care of the violators of the law, as well. They should be held accountable. Ignorance is not a defense.
"Zeal without knowledge is fire without light"
"Zeal is fit only for the wise but is found mostly in fools"
"Craig has a total salary of $79,955 a year, according to city documents."
Interesting, that's $1537.60/week...
I thought I read in a previous article that he made above $90,000/year. Just curious as to exactly what binds the city to this salary? Does the city have to meet any goals or attract a certain amount of business growth or is just a salary that doesn't reflect achievements? Admittedly, over the last few years there has been a slight increase in new businesses, but it seems that small town politics still prohibits many prominent corporations from landing their operations here. As for the sunshine laws, I wonder how many times it has been violated before, and simply gone "unaddressed"...?
Alot of mistakes have been made during this process.
Nobody is perfect, I think once we get to full disclosure with this mess then we may be better able to comment about it and have a more meaningful discussion.
The thing that is most disturbing to me at this time is the lack of willingness for the council members to make a stand and express their viewpoints regarding this situation in public.
There are things being hidden at this time.
I am of the opinion that a deal was brokered within the previous week between the parties and that they are struggling to maintain that deal.
Procrastination is never a good thing, the longer you put off something and don't take ownership of it the worse it gets.
I believe that somebody should have owned this situation about 4 weeks ago, and since that did not occur at that time the city is having to deal with this train wreck.
"Does the city have to meet any goals or attract a certain amount of business growth or is just a salary that doesn't reflect achievements?"
this is a fair question, however there is often confusion as to the exact responsibilities of different government positions. a city manager is much like a plant manager for a business. the question is whether they manage the various departments in a city to deliver services. or if you prefer a less subjective evaluation, can they deliver the council a balanced budget (within the resources the council chooses to provide) and then operate within that budget. business growth and recruitment is more a chamber of commerce function, altho i am sure a competently administered city would be one of the factors that would be advertised in the effort to attract new business.
There are reasons that this is being done,remember the trees that were cut down on the square? did you know a relative of Mr Craigs got the contract to replant new trees? and it was later found out the trees that were planted were not the ones the contract called for. Mr Craig spent over $200,000 for the demolitation of the building on Depot street without the city council knowing about it,he said he could do this in an emergency. other contractors were ask the cost to demolish the building and three differant ones said $35,000 to $42,500 should do it the other building was torn down by Lee Adcock for appx. $37,500 this is a cost difference of appx.$160,000 now the city is in a lawsuit for the demolation that will be hard to win in court... all of the old bricks were collected by the company and hauled away to be resold they sell for $2.00 and up,the city should have collected these brick to recover some of the cost. Several items that need attention have been brought to Mr Craigs attention about other depts and nothing has been done! Mr Craig Fired the codes enforcer and got the city in a lawsuit that the city LOST and had to pay Mr Williams. add all of this up and you will see why he should be fired. Oh there are some ongoing invistigations into some shady things that have been done at one dept that will come out soon...People need to look at the real facts about this case and other things going on at city hall and you will understand why the 4 council members are doing this...the house if cards is about to fall.
It was a discerning and a disgrace to sit and watch the people who we have elected in Shelbyville to be the voice of our citizens. The whole situation reminds me of a disfunctional family. In theory, the citizens must realize these officals that have been elected to be your voice and spend your tax dollars come from a disfunctional environment and are bringing into offical city business. The way Al Stephenson responded to Mr. Craig was very disrepectful and definitely unprofessional. If anyone else noticed, Al Stephenson uses the word (I) quite often. Does this man really deserve to be in this position and is he clearly representing the voice of his district??? (HELL NO!!!)This man has his own agenda and when he knocks off Mr. Craig...who will it be next? Mr. Leroy Cunningham is definitely his (YES MAN). Al Stephenson needs to take his Yankee Doodle back up North where he is from and cause havoic in that area. He bad-mouthed Mr. Travis (previous coucilman) and made empty promises to the citizens in that district to gain our trust. BIG MISTAKE!!! Next time around the voters will be more diligent in electing officals that are highly educated and have a vested interest in seeing this city grow into the 21st century. I urge all voters to think long and hard about the type of people they are electing to be their voice and making the best decisions for the city of Shelbyville. There has been nothing but dysfunction since Al Stephonson and Leroy Cunningham have been in those city council positions. Enough is enough...I would suggest you all step down and let professionals run our city as they have in the past. What happened to the days when professional people like Andy Rambo and Henry Feldhaus took a vested interest in their community. The Sunshine Law needs to be revised to include a higher set of standards to qualify candidates to be city council officals. These four individuals are nothing more than self-appointed, self-important loud mouths. I think the younger generation needs to step up in the next election and provide community service for a city so desperately in need of LEADERSHIP. What an embarrassment to us all. Maybe we should have Chanel 5 at our next council meeting to put this on live TV.
What's the deal with people commenting on here with long blown out statements?
Who in the heck wants to read that?
Its like a blob, and for the most part it's a turn off.
Separate your thoughts, express them in sections and carry on.
Here's something to make ALL of you go hmmmmmmmm.....
Has anyone stopped to think that just maybe the city is staying quite for the protection of all the families involved? Yes, all of these people you are gossiping about have families.
I am not taking sides, I'm just saying please think before you attack!!
There is SOME reason they are NOT telling. That reason could be for the protection of the city, or it could just be that they really don't have a reason or that the council people aren't sure WHAT they are doing? The fact is we DO NOT know yet, everything that we are all saying is completely hearsay.
We will ALL just have to wait until next Thursday.
I know we can all get our points across without cursing & name calling.
So, all of this assuming is getting none of us nowhere fast. It's moving all of us further from the truth, because that is what gossip creates!!
avoice if you read my post and check it out you will see that everything I said is the truth and has been reported in the news. The trouble in Shelbyville is people dont take the time to read and find out what is going on untill it is too late. the massive over spending at city hall has got to stop,someone WILL have to pay this money back.The attitude by Wally Cartwright and a few of the council that it is only a few thousand dollars here and another few thousand dollars there is why the city is in the shape it is in now..OPEN your eyes people and check this out for yourselves...before your TAXES GO UP!!!Craig has been right in the middle of the straw house and needs to go.
I agree totaly with tinytoes.
I THINK THAT WE ALL KNOW THAT THE CITY CAN NOT TELL EVERY THING ABOUT THIS BECAUSE OF LAW SUITS. THEY ARE NOT DOING THIS FOR NO REASONS. GET OUT AND AND DO YOUR INVESTIGATION ON YOUR OWN AND I BET YOU WILL JUST FIND OUT WHAT THIS IS ALL ABOUT AND YOU MAY BE SHOCKED
I hope that with your STRONG opinions & all of this proof to back it all up...that you DO attend the council meetings & that you DO express your concerns there.
I do hope that instead of bashing Mr. Craig or Mr. Cartwright on this website that you DO take the time to go listen in at these meetings, because that is the place to voice your opinions and concerns, not on a newspaper website to create gossip and drama.
I DO hope that you are not waiting on a newspaper to come out to fill you in.
Remember...believe NONE of what you hear and ONLY half of what you see.
If you are so concerned with it all, I am just suggesting to make yourself useful and go give your opinion where it matters!!
I agree totaly with tinytoes.
There is a VERY good reason this happened and some of you are going to owe the council members an apology when all is said and done. What we all should be questioning is why the T-G has given us such limited information when this is a public issue and they must know more because there are citizens who know more. It has nothing to do with liability to anyone's family.
Cunningham and Stephensen are the ones who need to go. I'm very surprised with Thomas Landers on this issue. Cunningham and Stephensens I'm sure don't like him because Ed plays by the rules and treats everyone the same. They are more comfortable with under the table deals, secret meetings, and rules that apply to everyone but them. I don't expect them to change their mind, but I hope Landers and Pruitt will not get pulled into shady dealings like this.
I've seen Craig in action. The resaon the earlier councils were so enamored with him was the he was so much smarter than they were. Now you have some people on there who are smarter than him. They can see what an idiot he really is. No Cunningham is not one of the smart ones. The sooner Craig is gone, the better this city will be.
Al Stephenson smarter than Ed Craig?
I am actually laughing out loud at this post.
wha-what if you can read go back and check the T G stories and add up the massive spending that has been done since Craig has been city mgr. also look at the lawsuits that he has got the city into and look at what it has cost the city.( and the city is made up of TAXPAYERS who will be left footing the bill) see how much the lawsuit by the former codes enforcer has cost the city not including legal fees. did you know of the developer that wanted to develop a very big piece of land on 231 n it had retail shops on 231n Publix was to be one of the stores,the design was like the new mall in Murfreesboro only alor smaller.A VERY NICE subdivison was to be built behind this alot like Indian Hills in Murfreesboro ...but the people behind this found out that they were not welcome in SVILLE..they knew they better stay away..(they were not local good old boys) LOOK the town is drying up this would have been a big shot in the arm for us but it is gone now..and dont you think that the big developers dont talk to each other..what new industry has come ? NOTHING Craig should go and he should take mayor Cartwright with him...so go back and read if you can and you will see why changes need to be made..Stephenson and Cunningham are both business men and have the guts to try and make needed changes.Oh and while you are looking go to Murfreesboro and Tullahoma and see the growth at these towns...
Where to start let see the way the city treats the people that work for the city. The fire Department goes to work for 24 hours yet they receive pay for 16 so does that mean they do not have to get up and respond to emergency during the time they are not being paid. The fair labor and standards act states that employers who work 24 hours should be paid for the 24. Never mind the fact that they give up 24 hours of every 3 days and have to be away from their family, they are now told that they must take all 16 hours of leave now they are told that they cannot have another firefighter to come stand in to cover for them if they need to go to a child's baseball game. Is this the way you treat our heroes
A few year ago the men at the Bed Co EMS filed a lawsuit agains the county and won,they got back pay. the judge also told the County that they were to get paid breaks and meal breaks and they would not have to respond to a call untill there break or meal time was over..check it out.On the other hand while at work they could not do non related stuff like washing their cars,fixing cars,waxing their boats etc...
"Good Grief" They all need to go, or get back in their closet and don't come out until we are all beamed up to heaven. They are all screwd business men and only out for their own self gain. And take Tyson's, Wal Mart and the illegals with them, "OH MY GOSH" now we'll have to fund a bigger closet, if there is one that can be built that big, Maybe obama will send some stimulus money, or bredesen will do what he does best, "Smile like Jimmy Carter and caters to the rich and corrupt"
Actually the lack of new industry is due to our town's demographic. Ed Craig and those under him consistently met with new businesses (think Chili's and Ruby Tuesday's). All but a small handful of these businesses decided not to pursue a future in Shelbyville.
Just in case you don't understand: A demographic is the social cross-section of an area. In Shelbyville, the demographic is largely uneducated and largely conservative. Why would the people want a Publix? Groceries are cheaper at Walmart. Why would they want a subdivision? Rent is cheaper at the trailer park. Futhermore, why would Publix choose to invest in an area that won't provide profit?
On another note: The city does spend money. You might not believe it, but every municipality spends money. Look at the fiscal figures of Shelbyville in relation to three or four other towns of similar size and you will see that it is nothing out of the ordinary. Actually, most towns spend more money because the people understand that for a few extra cents they can have decent landscaping and a remotely aesthetically pleasing town. God forbid we spend any money at all.
P.S. You're right, Cunningham is a business man. A used car salesman who specializes in doing whatever shady deals to make the most money. Ed Craig was only a federal prosecutor in Washington D.C. before moving home to take care of his elderly parents, surely he is the "Good Ole Boy."
Also, Rubbernecker and Tinytoes . . . could you please spend 1 or 2 minutes longer on your posts in the future?
While as an English major I am always inclined to edit a paper or book report, I left teaching middle school behind years ago and would really like to have an educated, thought-out discussion without having to translate almost every single sentence into acceptable English. Thanks.
Wha-what is exactly right. Bedford Co's demographic would not support a development like Indian Hills because there are not enough upper income families to buy these homes.
Tinytoes, your thought process is completely off. You should know better than to make the comparison between Shelbyville and Murfreesboro, because Shelbyville will never reach the growth potential that Murfreesboro has. Mind you, this is not necessarily a bad thing.
First Murfreesboro is a college town. Just by virtue of having the states largest undergraduate university sitting in the middle of it gives the population of that town a higher potential of recruiting businesses. Simply put a more educated population equals more job potential. Yes, Shelbyvillle has taken a step toward this with the introduction of a satellite campus, but economic growth demands more MBA holders, more engineers,a more professionals, etc in town than graduate trained educators.
Second an interstate runs right through it. The ease of commute and ease of moving goods increases the potential for growth. While bedford Co can reap the benefits of having a 4 lane federal highway to said interstate, the lack of immediate interstate access is a direct impediment for growth.
Gottago The whole concept of the subdivision was to attract people from Murfreesboro to live in Shelbyville,thus the reason for it being located on the north side of town on 231N. No the people of Shelbyville cannot support a subdivison like Indian Hills and the developers knew this going in however people that work in Murfreesboro could afford there houses and be in Murfreesboro in 15 mins.These people can support a Publix.I really believe the reason the developer was turned away is the fact that more people perhaps better educated people would upset the Shelbyville apple cart thus end the good ole boy system Shelbyville is known for.
Tinytoes- I can't imagine a developer being so out of touch that he would not know that the majority of Rutherford Countians would never consider the South Church corridor (indian hills).
There is a reason that a similiar property is cheaper there than West Murfreesboro or North Murfreesboro. Nobody in their right mind wants to fight that 231 nightmare most times of day(that and people prefer Blackman or Seigel schools). If they don't want to deal with said corridor they certainly wouldn't want to add a few extra minutes to the commute. I would venture that if the commute moved more smoothly more would relocate to North Bedford Co.
But I do agree that there are too many people who don't want a more educated set moving in. It's been that way for decades.