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Council approves budget amendment amid public allegations of retaliation against deputy personnel director
Summary
Eastpointe City Council approved a year-end budget amendment that includes changes affecting an HR position after the deputy personnel director publicly alleged discriminatory actions and a retaliatory $25,000 pay cut by the interim city manager. The amendment passed 4–1.
Eastpointe City Council approved budget amendment BA26JO1 at its Sept. 2 regular meeting after a heated public comment period in which the city’s deputy personnel director accused the interim city manager of discriminatory actions and retaliation.
The vote to adopt the fiscal year-end amendment was 4–1, with Councilmember Baker the lone dissent. The amendment consolidates year-end project carryovers and includes several personnel and salary-account adjustments.
Deputy Personnel Director Vicky Brooks told the council she issued a memo to the mayor and mayor pro tem on Aug. 27 detailing “descriptive examples of discriminatory actions the interim city manager has taken” and alleged violations of the Civil Rights Act, Eastpointe personnel rules and regulations, the civil service charter and HIPAA. Brooks said on Aug. 29 the interim city manager submitted a budget amendment that would reduce her pay by $25,000 and that the action was “clear and direct retaliation” for her communication with the mayor and mayor pro tem. “My salary is the only reduction in expenses and the only reduction in personnel costs recommended by the interim city manager,” Brooks said. “This recommendation isn’t aligning with the compensation study approved by council.”
Brooks said an independent compensation study completed in February 2025 had set her wage and title; she said the interim city manager’s recommended reduction diverged from that study. She also told the council she had taken on more HR duties since March 2025 and called the proposed cut “injustice.”
Several residents echoed calls for an impartial review. One speaker urged the council to ensure “a fair and impartial investigation” into the reported harassment, discrimination and retaliation and said the mayor and mayor pro tem had been given notice to call a personnel meeting.
During council debate, Councilmember Baker said he had been told directly the deputy personnel director’s position would be impacted and that, because of the way the change was presented, he could not support the amendment. “The appearance of it does sound discriminatory,” Baker said. Other council members said the amendment primarily reflects standard year-end accounting for projects that did not complete by June 30, and one member said the HR role is a relatively new position that the council previously approved in concept during the wage-study process.
City administration told the council there would be outside review of the allegations. Mayor Kleinfeld stated that an outside agency or person had been engaged to review the allegations raised at the meeting.
The budget amendment passed on a roll-call vote with Mayor Kleinfeld, Councilmembers DeMonaco, Curley and Shadlick voting yes and Councilmember Baker voting no. The amendment packet lists assorted non-general fund project carryovers and personnel reallocations; the packet identifies the item as BA26JO1.
Ending: Councilmembers and residents said they expect follow-up from the administration on the personnel allegations; administration said it will provide further information and that an external review is underway.
