Longtime New Baltimore Councilman Jeffrey Christie announced plans to resign Monday night to a surprised council.
"I will be tendering my resignation before the next meeting," Christie said at the end of regularly scheduled session in city hall. "I'm done."
Mayor Larry Smith said he was sorry to hear the news, but added he understood.
Christie's announcement came shortly after Councilwoman Florence Hayman successfully motioned to repeal a ratified police contract for command officers, namely lieutenant and sergeant ranks, in the city.
Hayman had the matter added to the agenda during the meeting. However, city attorney Robert Hribar recommended against it. He said the city would be better off publishing the item on the agenda with advance notification.
"I appreciate his input, but it doesn't change my decision," Hayman said.
After the council approved to repeal the contract—with its contents not discussed openly—Christie turned to Hayman with choice words.
"That's absolutely the sneakiest thing you've ever done. You know that?" he said. "You just cost the city thousands and thousands of dollars."
She responded, "I'm sure Mr. Dolan can sort it out," referring to another one of the city's lawyers, Jack Dolan.
Smith said, "I question if that's even legal for us to do."
Hayman said after the meeting she sought to repeal the contract because the command officers changed union representation amid negotiations. That switch in representation from the Command Officers Association of Michigan (COAM) to another union was ignored by the city administration, she contends.
"Because of that, it is my belief that their prior union didn't have the authority to negotiate the contract," she said.
The contract was finalized and did not include any major concessions, Smith said after the meeting.
"I am just flabbergasted," he said.
Councilwoman Susan Burkhardt, who like Christie, voted against repealing the contract.
"My thoughts are: we pay a city attorney and when he makes a recommendation, I am going to heed that recommendation," she said.
Christie, who sat on council for approximately two decades, left the meeting without comment. He was expected to run for re-election this year.
Check back with Patch for more news out of the council meeting.
Do you not see the closed door, underhandedness of what Hayman, Butler, Dupray and Rutledge did?
Jeff Christie
Please consider staying. Please don't throw us to the wolves there are SOME sensible people in NB that see right through Flos angry hostile face. We need more like you sir!
if you think Mayor Larry Smith has INTEGRITY then you better look the definition up in the dictionary... Look up the word scroundel.. cheat..liar.. sneak. Mayor Larry Smith's picture is right next to all those words.. John Dupray has integrity and guts.. he is honest and Will get the job done.. ethicallly and legally..Unlike Smith!
Mr. Thomas, Carols did not get the Rec Dir. job, as you said, to my understanding because he was not educationaly qualified. Rumor (for what ever that is worth) is that Judy, also not educationally qualified, was fired by email, because she did not come to work after she cost the city several thousands of dollars in a contract she was not authorized to sign. It sounds to me that the Mayor was wrong in signing a contract with someone that no longer represented the Command Officers, but I will still support him over someone appointed and managed by council members like Hayman and Butler, as I am embarrassed to have them represent me and my city. I don't even know Dupray, but won't vote for him because of who put him in the ring and how.
The Mayor is in charge of the Police and Fire departments and it seems that it's always the Police who complain to the local papers. The Mayor is doing his job, the command and patrol officers should be doing theirs and that includes protecting the residents who pay them. They could go work in another city if they are not happy, bet there would be a lot of applicants happy to accept what was in the contract and realize that the economy dictates the Mayor's decisions.