On Tuesday, the Antioch City Council voted to provide themselves up to five part-time secretaries in a split 3-2 vote.
The cost for each position is approximately $15,500 and although the council approved up to five, they will be hiring based on each council members choice of whether or not to have a secretary to assist them.
The vote comes as Antioch Mayor Pro Tem Tamisha Torres-Walker flipped her position on the issue after coming out at the January 13 meeting opposed to secretaries—she supported interns because the council did need some help.
During Tuesdays Valentines Day meeting, Torres-Walker changed her tune and actually proposed increasing the number from three secretaries to five secretaries.
“I know it initially came in the form of secretaries, legislative aid, whatever we could do to support those councilmembers who are not retired and do work full time but want to have some sort of support to be able to look at different policies and solutions and be in multiple places at once to serve this city. And then I know I came back and said what if it was an internship because there are residents who want to be involved and want to understand the city attorneys office, the city manager, the city clerk , they want to know how to be involved civility and support councilmembers to understand and make the city more public facing,” explained Walker.
Walker then came out in support of both secretaries to support the council and create an internship program to support the curiosity of how cities are run.
“I am in support of both and I hope the council can support both of these,” stated Walker. “I am looking at the secretaries, I actually see three, I really want to support five part time positions because there are five councilmembers and there will be five councilmembers for the foreseeable future. The positions be available even if the councilperson doesn’t exercise their right to the potential service.”
Walker further explained she wanted the additional positions to exist should any future councilmember want assistance they could simply put the position out for people to apply.
Councilmember Monica Wilson asked about internships and who they would report.
Human Resources Director Ana Cortez explained that would depend on the department head and how they are assigned to each department.
“I’m all for interns. I hate that title secretaries,” stated Wilson. “I do like the five secretaries and I also like if somebody says I don’t need one right now, then that secretary won’t be hired until that councilperson says at this point in time I need it.”
She noted the concern that they would hire all these secretaries and that one or two would be used and two or three would be sitting around.
“We could postpone hiring secretaries for those councilmemebrs who don’t need them right now but could need them in the future,” said Wilson.
Mayor Lamar Thorpe said they could do five and some may say no.
“This all started with the idea of one for all of us, part time,” said Thorpe. “Then I said how can we get from one to more but maybe three and people can share. I am excited to hear about the five, I am all for that.”
According to Cortez, one part-time secretary would be approximently $15,000.
The council also provided direction to staff to bring back information on beginning to create an internship program.
The motion to hire five secretaries passed for five part-time secretaries in a split 3-2 vote with Mike Barbanica and Lori Ogorchock voting against.
Walker Flip Flops as Thorpe Begs for Help.
At the Jan 13 meeting, Torres-Walker stated after meeting with members of the community, came to the conclusion this was not the right direction to go and that internships would be the correct path forward.
“The right direction would be internships,” stated Torres-Walker who said young people and young adults would have an opportunity to become public policy interns and learn to work in local government. “Expanding that opportunity is important.”
Thorpe attempted to sway public opinion by noting the part-time secretary salaries range from $15,000 to $21,667 which are internship numbers and the title of part-time secretary was semantics and they could do what they want with.
He continued by stating the frustrating part with interns is they leave or once they are trained and begin to help, they move on.
“I am all for this,” said Thorpe. “You individual or whatever district representative can shape it however you want in terms of how you approach it. I am asking, as the mayor, I do need a ton of support. It helps.”
Fiscal Impact
Listed under Item 11 of the agenda, the council will debate adopting a resolution allocate up to three part-time secretaries to provide administrative support to the city council or opt to have staff create a paid internship program.
For fiscal year 2023, the impact salary range for allocating one part-time secretary Is $15,500 to $22,389, for two part-time secretaries is $31,000 to $44,777 and for three part-time secretaries is $46,499 to $67,165. The staff report says the fiscal impact for the internship program will be determined as the Internship Program is developed.
3 comments
And the citizens will do nothing. Fearful of the consequences of an uprising. They’ll again bow down to Lamar and his incompetence, just like the American citizens bow down and do nothing over the Biden incompetence. They love their masters and their enslavement, no matter what they say. On your knees….. Oh,that’s where you live.
Referring to Jaimie,what do you propose we do? We citizens are not allowed any input regarding anything. If anyone questions anything that Thorpe says,they are blocked from saying anything. His two sidekicks are so afraid of him,they won’t go against anything he wants. So ,it will always be a three to two vote,with absolutely no input from us.
I apologize for the autocorrect. I was responding to Jaimoe.
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