Photo by KELLY FARRELL
Recently retired City Finance Director Bill Harrison serves as a liaison for the first financial planning advisory committee tasked with looking at how the city should plan budgeting for 2010 given the likelihood of continuing decreases in property taxes. Harrison, also a former City of Naples employee, said Marco is one of the most dependent on property taxes of any city he has seen. Kelly Farrell/ Staff
“We have the fox guarding the hen house,” says watchful resident Bill McMullan.
Former Finance Director Bill Harrison went through a “constructive discharge” or “retirement,” depending on the context of the conversation regarding his October 2008 departure with the city, which was surrounded by public questions of improper city financial procedures.
City Manager Steve Thompson said the reason for the phrase “constructive discharge” was because he and Harrison believed it was “best for the city” for Harrison to leave.
The question for some now is-- why is he back working in City Hall?
Harrison told the Eagle he would leave the question up to Thompson to answer.
“Bill (Harrison) retired because of political pressures and the political environment rather than mistakes on his part,” Thompson said Wednesday. He added that Harrison is working specifically on septic tank replacement project financing and bond issues Mondays and Tuesdays.
Thompson responded to concerns about the length of time being taken to find a new finance director saying: “It’s normal to take six to nine months to fill a position of this importance to the city.”
He seeks a candidate with both technical expertise and the ability to fit well with Marco Island politics.
“Some people say (Harrison’s) name needs clearing. I say there is no blight on Bill Harrison’s name,” Thompson said.
City Clerk Laura Litzan reported that Harrison made about $49 per hour base pay before “retiring” and currently earns $100 per hour as a city consultant working two days per week.
His compensation before leaving the city included benefits which would increase his base pay to between $64 per hour and $75 per hour, Litzan added. Harrison received $25,000 severance pay and Litzan said he has no further retirement compensation from the city.
Thompson said Harrison is not working full time. His $102,000 base salary with up to 50 percent benefits before leaving the city became the potential of earning about $83,000 annually with two days per week of work.
Bob Creighton, the city purchasing manager who was also named acting-finance director by Thompson, received a raise for increased job duties from $66,700 annually to $82,000 annually.
“There is just nobody here to do all this work,” Litzan said of the need for Harrison.
City Councilman Frank Recker requested the issue be put on the Council agenda to be discussed Monday at the 5:30 p.m. meeting next door to City Hall.
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Comments » 7
sailing writes:
at $100 per hour if he worked full time he would be making $192,000 a year we taxpayers are getting the shaft again! lets also put him in charge of the 1.6 million hideaway beach outhouse project,poor guy is only making $80,000 a year working 2 days a week!! so now he makes even more, will someone please explain this foolishness? come on people get involved, or this crap will continue!
dc5799 writes:
Funny how Ed Issler goes silent when the City screws up.
lauralbi1 writes:
Mr. McMullan, according to all the news reports, violated the "Public Trust" more than Mr. Harrison !!! Someone show all of us the "evidence" that Mr. Harrison did anything wrong and we can all join together in an effort to bring an end to his "consultancy". But I have seen no evidence of any wrongdoing, other than putting some expenses in different project accounts. There was no stealing, no abuse of power, no derelection of duty, only an accounting sanfu.
Anyone got anything of any substance?? If not, live another day and enjoy it.
Ed Issler
playballonK writes:
A.M.I.F (another Marco Island fiasco)
SmokeyJoe writes:
Issler.......When one capital project is properly approved according to law, you can not take funds from that project and use them for something else. Neither can you take funds from the approved project and use them for any other purpose. neither the City Manager or the Finance Director can violate this requirement established by law even if you are personally willing to overlook it. Why are you always willing to defend improper actions by our City Council? Because they were elected , does not give them the right to violate what all Florida Governments must comply with.
marcoredeagle writes:
Issler, this is about Harrison and NOT about McMullan.
We AREN'T paying McMullan. The City IS spending MY money to pay for Harrison.
Stop the personal attacks on McMullan.
Is this like Chicago politics? Reward your friends and protect them? Continue allowing them to be employed? As they stay inside the office, individuals know that they are being protected. Why else would they be employed if they aren't a part of the "team in power" that needs to be sucked up to?
shadow writes:
ed,ed,ed,ed,.....the man quit when the city announced a forensic audit....the man moved money from one fund to the other....this is on record...why in the world would we hire him as a consultant?? he should pay us to get back into city hall to cover his tracks from the past.
come on ed...admit it...it smells like rotten fish.
and i could give a big flip about mcmullan.
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