Where There's Smoke There's Fire
April 9, 2019
The last thing on my mind Monday night was attending the City Commission meeting. Monday is the day I work on my lawn. trimming, weed whacking, edging and mowing the lawn leaves me feeling like I have 5 acres of land. I just want to relax with my feet up, and that was the plan, until I checked my phone and had messages and text’s telling me Police Chief Sara Mooney’s job was in jeopardy and Mayor James would replace her. I attended the meeting, and there was a change in procedure and the City Commissioners made their comments at the beginning of the meeting instead of the end. A member of the public attended and wanted the commissioners to address the rumor of the Chief’s removal in their closing comments. That didn’t happen. Now I am asking for their comments on the supposed rumor. Hopefully the media will follow up.
Mayor James addressed the “rumor” of Chief Mooney being fired and basically said it was just that, a rumor. Really? I sat in the audience when Mayor Muoio announced that she was appointing Assistant Chief Sara Mooney as the new WPB Chief of Police, and needed the vote of the City Commissioners to ratify the appointment. Four Commissioners approved the appointment with Commissioner James stating they should “look outside” the department to insure the best candidate was found. He was the only commissioner to vote no on her appointment. That alone should have been a sign of what was to come.
Previously the city did look outside for a new Police Chief and appointed Vince Demasi in 2012 and he resigned in 2014 and recommending that Assistant Chief Bryan Kummerlen be promoted as the new Chief. He was and served until his retirement in 2016 when he recommended Mooney as the best person to replace him, and Mayor Muoio agreed. Read the story below.
The first City Commission meeting led by newly elected Mayor Keith James was held on 4/8/19 and an item on the agenda was “Proclaiming April 14 -20,2019 as National Public Safety Telecommunications Week” Proclamation was to be accepted by Police Chief Sara Mooney, who was absent from the meeting and the award was accepted by Telecommunications Manager, Suzette Dodd and Assistant Telecommunications Manager Natasha Potter. So where was the Police Chief? She was at the PBC Convention Center, along with an estimated 2,000 people discussing homelessness and racial profiling. Personally I prefer she attended the event at the convention center than receiving a proclamation. Please take the time to read the story below. To me it is very telling, who was invited, and who couldn’t be bothered to attend.
The piece below was written by Andrew Loftholm who is a reporter for WPTV.
From Andrew Loftholm at channel 5 on Facebook about possible firing of West Palm Beach police chief:
“I just talked to Keith James, Mayor of West Palm Beach, on the phone. He said the rumor that Chief Mooney would be let go tonight is “ludicrous and it’s false.”
Long term, “anything is possible,” he said.
John Kazanjian, the president of the Palm Beach County Police Benevolent Association (the police union) told me on the phone,
“it’s not happening tonight.”
Important to note: Mayor James has a 50 person transition team that is reviewing all positions with the city, including public safety.
A public safety liaison will be appointed at tonight’s meeting.”
Another item on the agenda is #14 which reads “Public Hearing and Second Reading of Ordinance No. 4835-19, amending the Code of Ordinances at Chapter 62- Personnel Policies, to update and clarify allowable severance payments upon separation from employment” In other words after the city fires you your severance pay will go from 12 weeks to 20 weeks, “to certain classifications of employees” I take that to mean the upper echelon will be well compensated for taking our city in a direction that benefits developers. In my opinion it’s worth the price to get rid of them and I have suggestions.
One other concern I have under the new administration is for Beverly Mahaso, Manager of the Internal Audit Dept; and is responsible for bring fraud and waste to the city’s attention so that corrections can be made. She was trained and recommended by Roger Strout to replace him upon his retirement.
Once again Commissioner James stating they should “look outside” the department to insure the best candidate was found. They did just that and it was found Beverly was the best candidate.
The Mayor supposedly has no jurisdiction over the Internal Auditor, and when Mayor Muoio was first elected with James the Internal Auditor was Imogene Isaacs who was forced out by James, and as I was told directly by Ms Isaacs once Commissioner Muoio was elected mayor, her time with the city would be ending. Read the story below
https://www.palmbeachpost.com/article/20120216/NEWS/812036562
So Commissioner Lambert is now the President of the Commission, will she be Mayor James puppet, as he was Mayor Muoio, and find a way to eliminate Beverly Mahaso?
I have to ask myself why some men are intimidated by strong women which in my opinion are both Sara Mooney and Beverly Mahaso.
If you are out and about and see a cop, ask them what they think of the Chief. I have and found them to be protective and supporting of her. Many stating morale has never been higher. If James terminated the chief I will pray for a blue flu and maybe the governor will check out the City of West Palm Beach as suggested by Gregory Daniel in the above story.
FYI: Please be aware that newly elected Commissioner Richard Ryles will serve the remainder of Paula Ryan’s term of one year and will seek re-election along with Lambert and Shoaf in 2020. Be vigilant.