Residents press commission on allegations of corruption, lawsuits and procurement irregularities

During a lengthy public‑comment period at the Jan. 19 commission meeting, several residents and a local attorney raised allegations about prior city administration, announced litigation and urged stricter review of policies.

Attorney Alvin Peters told the commission his firm had served an eight‑count complaint on behalf of Vicky Gaynor. Peters listed counts in court documents, including "Count 1 is the Equal Pay Act," and said the complaint alleges hostile work environment claims based on race and gender and other counts naming individual commissioners.

Other residents described missing or mishandled city property and records. Jody Moore said investigators should "look to the past and fix what was broken," asserting examples including unsecured evidence and money the speaker said could not be accounted for; Moore told commissioners, "If you look for it, I think you'll find it." Resident William Platt criticized prior use of public funds to promote Black History Month and called for accountability.

Separately, Heinz Gray reported on procurement records obtained by public records request: he said he found 13 records above the manager's procurement threshold with no evidence of commission approval and raised questions about 'owner direct' purchases for the city hall project.

Several speakers urged the commission to improve transparency, revisit procurement policy and digitize paper records. Commissioners and staff acknowledged outstanding lawsuits, said some investigations are pending, and committed to review of policies and procurement procedures. Interim staff estimated digitizing archived paper records could cost roughly $300,000.

What's next: Commissioners said pending lawsuits will proceed through the courts and flagged personnel and policy reviews as an agenda topic for future meetings; no policy or disciplinary actions were adopted at this session.