Rarely, if ever, do I post 3 times in one day but this just begged to be released now…
Before I offer a copy of a letter I received recently I would like to provide some context. One of the proposed Assistant City Manager positions is obviously tailor made for Julie Frisoni, Interim Assistant City Manager. Look for Human Relations, under Director Jim Brown, to rewrite the requirements for the position so that Frisoni can be named permanently to that position despite her lack of qualifications. After all, if Brown does not comply he could be considered insubordinate and would be the next in line for the City Manager’s firing squad. It is common knowledge that Julie Frisoni was a member of former City Manager Ed Beasley’s “inner circle.” As such many have said that she had intimate knowledge of the wrong doings that occurred.
You will remember that when Don Bolton appealed his termination before the Personnel Board it was widely reported in the news media. At that hearing City Manager Fischer stated that if employees saw wrong doing she encouraged them to whistle blow anonymously to the City Manager, the media and/or the Attorney General. That is exactly what a group of employees have done. Here is their letter dated December 13, 2013 and received by every member of council in late December of 2013. It was also sent to the Glendale Star, the Arizona Republic and the Arizona Attorney General’s office. Here is the letter verbatim:
December 13, 2013
Brenda Fischer
City Manager
City of Glendale
5850 W Glendale Ave
Glendale, AZ 85301
Dear Ms. Fischer:
As long time Glendale employees, we had high hopes when you were hired. We had hoped that the years of paranoia, suspicion and fear from the city manager’s office was over. It was not long after you started that we realized the reign would continue with a new face and some old ones. Your move to evaluate (sic) Julie Frisoni to acting assistant city manager was the start. You had to know that Julie Frisoni was one of Ed Beasley’s most trusted and loyal cohorts. How else would someone of her inadequate experience and limited education ever get hired? She was in on every deceptive move Ed every (sic) made. She sat in on every council meeting rehearsal, including those that are the focus of the recent audit. She knew everything!
It wasn’t until we started to pull the pieces of the puzzle together that we uncovered why you will soon be making Julie your permanent assistant city manager. So we are accepting your offer to “go around management”, “go to the Attorney General’s Office anonymously”, or “anonymously informing the media, to put some public pressure” on an issue.
We know Councilmember Gary Sherwood met with you privately during your hiring process, which is a clear violation of common Human Resources practices. We know he was reprimanded by the city attorney’s office for secretly talking with you and advancing your application through the process. We know he put you in touch with Ms. Frisoni, who was a major, yet stealthy, player in his council election. We know the reason you promoted Ms. Frisoni was because Councilmember Sherwood asked you in exchange for his help in getting you hired. We know she is your closest confidant because Gary Sherwood surreptitiously used her to feed you information during your hiring process. We know her promotion is a “payback” for insider information during your hiring. We know Ms. Frisoni was aware of and involved in Ed Beasley’s directives that led to the trust fund transfers. We know Ms. Frisoni was involved in the secret council meeting rehearsals with staff in which she used her media background to coach staff how to avoid answering questions from the mayor and council. We know that the reason the Arizona Cardinals and the Super Bowl Host committee are penalizing Glendale is because they refuse to work with Ms Frisoni because of the years Ed Beasley, CraigTindall and Julie undermined the city’s relationship with the team. We know Ms. Frisoni could have helped those that the audit focused on but because she was not in the spotlight she cowardly choose to protect her own skin which simply shows the type of person she has become. We know Ms. Frisoni and her media relations team spent years misleading the media, including The Glendale Star and The Arizona Republic. We know Bill Toops repeatedly complained about Ms. Frisoni’s inability and unwillingness to release information through the public records process. We know Ed Beasley and Julie Frisoni helped to cover for Alma Carmichael as she “telecommuted” from Mississippi and Art Lynch as he bleed (sic) the city for his own personal benefit. We know Julie Frisoni mislead former Mayor Elaine Scruggs and former and current councilmembers to cover for Ed Beasley’s crimes. We also know this letter will not deter you from promoting Julie Frisoni but perhaps.it will make you wonder how someone with Julie’s immoral history will ever help you become an effective city manager with Glendale employees, businesses and residents.
We don’t know, but do hope, that both The Arizona Republic and The Glendale Star will print this letter because you asked Glendale employees to come forward anynomiously (sic) and that is what we are doing.
Ms. Fischer, we are dedicated employees who can’t afford to take your suggestion to resign if we don’t like it in Glendale so we have elected to follow your advice and make our voices heard to the media, the Attorney General’s Office and the Glendale City Council.
We had high hopes for a new administration, but with Julie Frisoni at your side, it’s simply more of the same fear mongering, backstabbing, council destabilizing and anxiety riddled days that we have known for so long and learned in which to survive.
Signed,
Anonymous (as requested by you)
CC: Arizona Attorney General’s Office, Glendale City Council, The Arizona Republic, The Glendale Star
My apology if some of the formatting of the letter has large spaces between the lines. Sometimes my lack of expertise in using my blog shows through. This is one of those times. I don’t know how much of their letter is truth and how much is supposition. I do know that there are truths within I for I have heard much the same thing from many. I invite you to decide how much you wish to believe. What is not surprising is that there has not been a word, nary a whiff of this letter publicly… until now… in this blog. The Mayor and City Council have had it for several weeks…not a word. The Glendale Star and the Arizona Republic have had it for several weeks…not a word. The Attorney General’s Office has had it for several weeks…not a word. Why? Because despite Ms. Fischer’s ridiculous suggestion to employees to report wrong doing anonymously — without a complainant’s name and specific facts it will not be accepted as legitimate. If that is the caliber of her advice we are all in trouble.
Don’t forget that Mr. Toops, owner of the Glendale Star, has political ambitions of his own. He wants Yvonne Knaack’s seat representing the Barrel district. Embarrassing the city in any way would not be good political form. Julie Frisoni has been the spokesperson for Glendale for many years and has media relationships. Could there have been some squelching, dismissing it all as the rantings of disgruntled employees? All of this reminds me of the old movie, Peyton Place, or at the very least, an episode of the TV series, House of Cards.
UPDATE: In half an hour there were 150 people who read this post. It has hit the proverbial Glendale nerve. Be sure to pass it on to friends and co-workers. And be sure to cast your informal vote on the topic, Would you hire Julie Frisoni as Assistant City Manager? The poll is to the left of this article.
An hour has passed and 300 people have now read this post.
Last check of the evening and over 400 people have read this post. Thank you for your interest. It is very much appreciated. You can sign up to receive email notifications of my blogs when they are posted. Check the right side of this page.
By 9 AM the number who have read this post is over 600 and climbing. Again, let me express my thanks for your interest.
At noon 750 have read this post.
In 24 hours this post has been read by a little over 1200. Not one person who voted in my informal poll would hire Frisoni as the permanent Assistant City Manager. FYI: It seems Frisoni will be on medical leave starting today for the next 6 weeks.
© Joyce Clark, 2014
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I wish this letter had more substance. As it stands, it’s just an unsupported list of things someone (or ones) say they know (or think they know). Evidence would go a long way toward being able to take this seriously.
I agree and will address that very subject in my next post tomorrow.
When I was hired years ago as an employee we had to sign a confidentiality notice and stating anything negative about the city to anyone outside the City infrastructure was grounds for immediate dismissal. When there is corruption inside it is unfortunate that as an employee you can not address those issues and expect to keep your job. Employees have no voice, not since Stan Van de Putte passed away. I got reprimanded for pointing out corruption/theft from within my own department to the powers that be, basically told mind my own business and keep my mouth shut, so what do you do when there is nothing that you can do.
Deana, Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts as a former Glendale employee. I think in today’s environment, especially with social media, an employee now has options to whistle blow without getting burned. There’s a lot of fear out there and that is what prevents many.
Ok Joyce this is how the culture of intimidation works a week before Christmas a friend of mine visited the second floor to get a permit and the bathroom was out of order. No big deal you say thing happen. City hall was closed for the week of Christmas I am told by some staff that that time was uses to install new security doors on the fourth floor to protect the manager, the mayor, the city clerk, and the city attorney from the public. A security guard was not enough to do the job of keeping the public away from our public servants.
Ok back to the point the bathroom is still out of order on the second floor, the busiest floor in the building. It comes down to a simple question of “who cares about the injustice and dignity of those blue collar workers”.
Maybe sometime soon I will talk about the reorganization plan and the idea of putting transportation department back to the 1999 structure. I thought that we the citizens of Glendale voter to create a separate department so that we can monitor the half cent sales tax we approved. As far as I can see this plan is design co- mingle the funds and misuse and abuse us the tax payers. I expect the citizen oversight committee to have something to say about that and I hope they have more courage than the personnel board or the P&Z Commission that is about to succumb to the wishes of a few elected officials and allow billboards in areas not allowed for by the zoning code. It does still amaze me what a few campaign dollars can buy in today’s market.
These are just a few examples of the corruption sitting in the “gray area” that do not need an employee to risk his or her job to expose because it is as plain as day for anyone to see. Which department got a gift basket this holiday season for the few billboard companies operating in the market or the law firms that represent then?
You mentioned the new security on the 4th floor. I will be doing a post on that sometime in the near future.
Joyce, would it be possible to talk to you privately about this subject before posting any comments?
yes. email me at clarkjv@aol.com and I will send you my phone number if you are not comfortable with email.
Thanks Joyce. Email sent on Sunday.
Will be calling you in a day or two…plate full today.