For What It's Worth

"As the Raise Turns" Part IV:

"Ten Thousand Dollar Jeff"

We’re telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth when it comes to Lincolnton City Manager Jeff Emory and the obscene amount of city taxpayer dollars the Lincolnton City Council have handed to their top employee on a silver platter.

Over the last week, the phones at the office have been ringing off the hook with a resounding “keep it up.” Emails – with the exception of one I’ll share in this editorial – are in favor of what we’re doing.

The truth is tough to take. Keep reading and you’ll see why.

The Carolina Scoop has learned more information about the City Manager’s car allowance and the fact his Christmas bonus was large.

However, the amount is in dispute.

Sources close to city government said Tuesday Emory received a $4,000 Christmas bonus. Mayor David Black, however, said he believed that particular bonus was two weeks pay, and came up with a figure of more than $2,900.

And the car allowance? $4,800.

In part III of “As the Raise Turns,” I commented on the two emails the City Manager sent from his City email account. One came from the office, while the other came from home.

“Why not look at other officials in the county,” Emory suggested.

I’ve taken him up on his suggestion. I spoke with George Wood, Lincoln County Manager, prior to Monday night’s county commission meeting.

Here’s what I discovered. Wood did not get any kind of bonus after his six-month probationary period as county manager. Wood – along with all of the county employees – is taking a salary cut via a furlough day for the next five pay periods. And if anyone thinks Mr. Wood is getting any kind of cost of living raise or merit increase, he’s not: it’s frozen for every county employee.

“I’m doing the same things my employees are,” said Wood. “If they can’t have it, I can’t have it.”

What a refreshing change of pace. As Grandma Carpenter (my mom’s mother) always said, “what’s good for the goose is good for the gander.”

“Ten Thousand Dollar Jeff” wanted me to “expose” the fact that Wood is getting paid more as county manager than he is as city manager. Duh, there’s more work in a county of 60,000 people than in a city of 11,000 people.

At any rate, thanks “Ten Thousand Dollar Jeff” for pointing me towards the county manager.

So why again are we giving you an obscene amount of money while your city employees get nothing?

“Ten Thousand Dollar Jeff” commands a staff of nearly 160 employees across 10 departments. Late last year, he had the city departments cut five percent of the budget to “make ends meet.”

Then – suddenly –- the city is in great financial shape, as reported to the Lincolnton City Council in December. At the same meeting, “Ten Thousand DollarJeff” got $10,000 in a raise and one-time bonus.

Now, the city is in “worsening financial shape,” as residents of Lincolnton may have to pay higher taxes, higher fees and risk having services cutback. That means hard-working city employees may even lose their jobs.

Apparently, city officials forgot to mention the large Christmas bonus at the time of voting 3-2 to give Emory this package.

We did a little checking on other benefits the city manager gets and discovered his dependent health coverage is $9,000; insurance for him is $5,000. We know he got a large Christmas bonus (The $4,000 figure is more in line because of the reliability of one of my sources) and the insurance.

With his new salary, Emory’s package comes to more than $188,000.

While Emory got a larger than usual Christmas bonus, the city “followed the rules” of two weeks pay. For a city employee making $20,000, the Christmas bonus was $769 and some change.

Unbelievable. I heard that salary-wise, Jeff is making $5,000 less than the Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina.

Again I ask, what about the city employees? The county is doing things right when it comes to manager/employee issues.

We did some checking for part IV in a town close to the same size of Lincolnton. In Newton, which is in Catawba County, the city manager is making $90,000. And there’s no insurance coverage for him.

Now, what does this tell us?

I had a chance to talk with Mayor Black on Tuesday, in preparation for part IV, and I told him what the people want in town is something done. Anything.

Black had no response.

Now to the mailbag. Here’s an email received by a city employee who asked his name not be used. We are choosing to honor that request.

It reads:

“…Thank you for the reporting and investigating
The Emory Raise/bonus. It truly is a slap in the face.
When budgets are cut due to bad economic times…
Dept. heads are forced to make decisions…such as…
Sorry can't send you to training…our budget was cut.
And then boom…raise for the man at the top…
It does sound a lot like the life and times of Americans
These days.”

We also received an email from Karen Cook, who is the director of the Child Advocacy Center of Lincoln County.

It reads:

“I LOOKED FORWARD TO READING YOUR E NEWS EACH DAY - NOW YOUR STYLE OF REPORTING IS NOTHING SHORT OF PROPAGANDA! DELETE MY EMAIL ADDRESS FROM YOUR SITE IMMEDIATELY.” Karen P. Cook, Director.

I called Ms. Cook and asked her if she lived in the city. Her answer is no, she lives out in the County.

I then asked what could be called the “Ten Thousand Dollar” question: is she a personal friend of “Ten Thousand Dollar Jeff?”

“Yes, I am,” she replied.

She has no “dog in this fight,” but yet she slanders/libels The Carolina Scoop by calling the newspaper “propaganda.”

Ms. Cook is very misled as to what we’re doing. We’re telling the truth – note TRUTH – about a city manager who is basically given a key to the city tax coffers and is basically getting raises, bonuses and all kinds of TAXPAYER dollars of city residents – not county residents.

Not only are the city employees being slanted, Ms. Cook, but now the city residents may be forced to bear the brunt of Emory’s greed via the Lincolnton City Council.

Also, if the Child Advocacy Center receives any kind of funding from the City, that may be affected as well. Now tell me we’re “propaganda.”

And, for the record, Mayor Black still hasn’t come up with an answer to the question “what do you tell your hardworking city employees?”

While I found Ms. Cook’s email unprofessional at many levels, I’m glad she at least took the time to voice her opinion.

And I told Ms. Cook that since we were a “propaganda” machine, then she wouldn’t want us to cover the upcoming CAC event next weekend.

She hung up on me. Guess my weekend’s free.

Incidentally, she’s the only dissenting opinion I’ve heard the last several days.

Elizabeth and I started The Carolina Scoop as a service to the residents of Lincoln County because local news was being pushed on the back burner.

I take the commitment to local news seriously and I vowed to tell the truth. Well, I’ve done it. I’ve been honest at every level.

And again I reiterate, The Carolina Scoop isn’t saying “Ten Thousand Dollar Jeff” didn’t deserve a raise/bonus et all. The timing was awful, at the beginning of a recession.

Should the taxpaying citizens of Lincolnton expect anything from the City Council, like an apology or a reversal of their decision in December?

Don’t hold your breath is the answer I’m getting. And meanwhile, hard working city employees are struggling to make ends meet, working two and three jobs in some cases.

It just isn’t fair. I await your responses, phone calls, emails. And note to city administration and our loyal readers: I’m NOT letting the issue die, especially at election time.

With all of the feed back we have received, are we really a “propaganda” machine?