( CINCINNATI, OH ) -- Despite Mayor John Cranley asking for City Manager Harry Black's resignation, Black has refused to negotiate his release. In a statement, Black said, "I intend to continue my service here as long as requested."
In a press conference [see the video below], Mayor Cranley says that despite rumors that he asked for Black's resignation due to Black forcing former Assistant Police Chief Dave Bailey to resign, that is not the case. Cranley says he asked for Black to separate from city service after what he calls "a pattern of behavior over several years that has been abusive. And in some cases, retaliatory and threatening. And in some cases, unprofessional. And in some cases, completely inappropriate."
Cranley says he has approached Black throughout the years to ask him to change his behavior, Black has promised he would change, and he says that in some cases, it has only gotten worse. The Mayor also says that multiple public records requests from the media and others throughout the years have gone unanswered or have been delayed.
The Mayor says he has also been concerned that Harry Black's concern with the public audit of police overtime leaking to the public was more so on the leak rather than whether or not taxpayer dollars were being wasted on police overtime.
Cranley says many city employees and normal citizens have approached him throughout the years to lodge complaints against City Manager Harry Black. Cranley also says that once he can assure a "safe space," free from retaliation, for people who have lodged complaints against Black, he will have them share their stories to City Council. Cranley says this will take at least a week or two to prepare.
In the released statement of Harry Black, he says "Let there be no mistake the next several weeks will be challenging in that it is common knowledge there are those who have specifically threatened to hurt me, via a smear campaign. Unfortunately, this now begins, and I expect will continue into the near future. You will hear and see things that will consist of untruths, innuendo, conjecture and are the product of significant embellishment of the fact(s)."
The only way the City Manager can be fired is by a majority vote from City Council. So far, Cranley has only cited support from Vice Mayor Christopher Smitherman and Councilmembers David Mann, Jeff Pastor, and Amy Murray. However, he did not say whether or not they would absolutely vote to fire Black.