DEARBORN, Michigan – The Dearborn Civil Service Commission today voted to remove Human Resources Administrator Valerie Murphy-Goodrich from her position with the City of Dearborn.
Under the Dearborn City Charter, the Human Resources administrator “serves at the pleasure of the Civil Service Commission.” Murphy-Goodrich had been head of the Human Resources Department since 1994.
The vote was 3-0, with Commission Chair Margaret Schaefer and Commissioners James. C. Peitz and W. Robert Schneiders voting in favor of the removal.
Valerie Murphy-Goodrich
Commissioner Mohamad I. Chehab, who was just appointed in March and was attending his first meeting, abstained and Commissioner Michael Berry was absent.
Schaefer said the decision was a difficult one, but was necessary in order for the commission to proceed with improvements to the Human Resources Department, as recommended by an independent review dated February 2011.
The review was conducted under guidelines found in Section 11.6 b of the City Charter.
Consulting firm Plante Moran performed the review, which outlined serious deficiencies in the operation of the department and included seven recommendations and 11 action items.
A key recommendation was for the city to “re-engineer all core HR processes across the organization as a means to gain needed efficiency and standardize service delivery to all departments.”
Schaefer said one of the concerns of the commission was the lack of progress in the implementation of the reforms proposed by Plante Moran.
Among its implementation recommendations, the Plante Moran report identified the need for a more timely process for hiring and promoting employees, increased use of technology, department restructuring into specialist versus generalist roles, an evaluation of training offerings, and development of a performance management system for staff feedback and increased accountability.
Under the City Charter, the Civil Service Commission has the responsibility for selecting a new Human Resources Administrator.
Well, people and businesses of Dearborn. Here comes another lawsuit, another stupid and poor decision from the legal department, in getting the Mayor what he wants! When will they learn? And this is going to cost the taxpayers a lot of money.
This has been going on for over a year, trying to get rid of the Human Resource Director, and the underlining reason is that she was open and one of the opponents in the Mayors attempt to get rid of the Civil Commission. Remember the move by Counsel President Tafalski, kicking Marge Powell of the Commission due to that the City did not have her take the oath in time…. Valerie Murphy-Goodrich was the “inside” opponent to that whole debacle. And that’s when all of this started. And I have a few questions.
Was she ever reprimanded and warned for poor work? NO. Was she given the opportunity to ask for a closed meeting? NO. Was she given time to prepare and have counsel at the Civil Commission Meeting? NO. These are her rights, and the City obviously just stabbed her in the back, and it ended up with a Commissioner walking her to her office and waited, while she was picking up her stuff and escorted off the premises. This you do if you fire someone that can harm the business (City) and you need to protect the assets.
As an EX-CEO, I know the way you separate yourself from one of your top manager. You sit down, explain why this does not work out, you ask one question, “How can we do this without hurting you or the organization?” And you ask the person to resign, and work out a settlement, money or whatever!
When will the City learn?
There’s one common thread in all of this and it is not the mayor. One certain employee who landed in HR after being booted from the district court. Same gal who sued the city and the court and is now trying to collect her money from the taxpayers. Same person who openly declared revenge on the judge who fired her in order to clean up that type of scum from the courthouse. Same woman who took up with another judge while they were both married.
Poor Miss Murphy, never extend a hand to a shark, she’ll bite your arm off. Worse yet, she might even take your job.
@Job. Interesting take on the whole situation, so everything is the work of Julie Puccie? To post a personal attack like this is easy when you can use “JOB” and hide behind it. Be a man/woman and show your name, and stand up for your statement. That’s what I will always do, because it the right thing to do. If you read the last part of my post, you will see that there are ways to negotiate a separation from employment. Julie Puccie offered Sommers (and the City) a $40.000 settlement, but was turned down by Sommers. Meet her to court was the recommendation from the legal department. And the result we all know and we have to pay, one way or another.
That the Mayor and the legal department approved and recommended the Civil Service Commission to eliminate Valerie Murphy-Goodrich as the Director of Human Resources is clear. Nothing is done without their knowledge and approval. And I have difficulties in believing that they are being told by Julie Puccie what to do. And by the way: Heard that she and Judge Hultgren is getting married this week end. Congratulations to both of them..