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Thompson, Gilmore removed from Public Safety, Finance Departments By DARREN HILLOCK Almost a year to the day from when it was last done, the Harvey City Council has again scrambled de partment assignments for the com missioners. The move at Monday’s City Council meeting signaled the emergence of a new coalition of Mayor David John son, Commissioner Ernestine Berry- Beck and Commissioner Frank Pie karski J. Finding themselves on the outside were Commissioners Otis Gilmore and Brenda Thompson. Gilmore was removed from the in fluential Accounts and Finance De partment and put in charge of streets and public improvements. Thompson was removed from the Public Health and Safety Depart ment, which includes the Police and Fire departments, and put in charge of the Public Property Department, which includes the Water Depart ment. Thompson had headed the Police, Fire and Health departments since her election in 1987. Gilmore had su pervised accounts and finance since last February. In setting up the move after a closed session to discuss personnel, litigation and real estate matters, Johnson focused mostly on charges of favoritism in Thompson’s running of the Public Health and Safety De partment. “Nepotism has been the order of the day,” Johnson said. “Cronyism has been the order of the day.” He charged that Thompson has em ployed her daughter, sister, other rel atives and friends and that un qualified people held positions of high rank in the department For his part, Piekarski ‘said he agreed with many of the mayor’s points, adding that he felt morale was low in Thompson’s departments. “The attitudes at the Police and Fire departments,” Piekarski said, “is not in the best condition. I’ve laid back for a long time hoping it would be corrected.” Thompson, at times a fiery pres ence at council meetings, was sub dued as the switch was made. She defended her running of the public health divisions saying under her ad ministration there has been a de crease in crime and an increase in revenue coming into the department through confiscations of drug crime related merchandise .Of all the departments,” Thomp son said, “it (public health and safety) is the only one that has worked. “You (the mayor) have no basis for your move,” she continued. “It’s something you want to do (before the next election in 1991).’ Thompson defended her hiring of friends and relatives as standard practice among Harvey council members. “Everybody in the city of Harvey has relatives working in their depart ments,” Thompson said Tuesday, tak ing a break from cleaning out her Police Facility office. “Everybody has their cronies.” Thompson pledged to work hard for the good of the city in whatever capacity she found herself in and told a Water Department supervisor she would meet with him the next day. Little comment was directed at the move of Gilmore from the Accounts and Finance Department, except for his own demanding of a reason for the switch “This is totally B.S.,” Gilmore said, “totally baloney sandwich up here. I'm asking for something to be placed in the records as to your reasoning for the transfer of myself.” Johnson then listed some problems he had with Gilmore, mainly focusing on the planning department, which Gilmore wrested from Johnson in the last council realignment. Johnson said the city demolition program was inefficient and building code enforce (Please turn to Page A-2) Rit l Sta tite Parks honor students Brad McKinnon, band director at District 147’s Rosa Parks Middle School, plays “Lift Every Voice and Sing” at last week’s honors assembly at the Dixmoor school. On stage are, from left to right, Patricia Banks, counselor; Leslie Chapman, a graduate of Parks and guest speaker; and Charmaine Jackson, mistress of ceremonies. The program cited students who have been named to the honor roll for the first semester
Newspaper Details
Harvey Star
Harvey, Illinois, US
Thu, Feb 15, 1990
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Ashley S.
USA 19 Aug 2026
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