( CINCINNATI, OH ) -- It's been just over one week since Mayor John Cranley asked for the resignation of City Manager Harry Black. At the time, Black said he would not resign, saying he would stay in his City Manager role as long as City Council would allow him.
In a press conference on Wednesday, Cranley said there had been a history of troubling behavior by Black for years, and Cranley said he had reprimanded Black on multiple occasions for being unprofessional.
On Saturday, March 17, Harry Black finally agreed to terms on a buyout offer and says he will step down as City Manager if Council approves it. The 18-month severance package is said to be for $393,000. It will be voted on Monday, March 19, by the Law and Public Safety Committee. If it has enough "yes" votes, it will then head to full Council on Wednesday to be approved.
In a released statement, City Manager Harry Black said, "Earlier today Mayor Cranley and I executed an amicable and mutually acceptable settlement, which is in the best interest of the City. I believe it is a fair agreement. I am hopeful that all members of City Council will immediately voice their support, so that this very painful week of tumult and chaos for the City – and me personally – can come to an end.
Although I will have more to say about this later, my time as City Manager has been a tremendously rewarding professional experience. I have been very privileged to be part of the many recent successes in Cincinnati during my tenure. Also, on a personal level the past four years have been a wonderful time for me and my family as we have made this city our home. I look forward to moving onto the next phase of my life and doing that here in Cincinnati.
Thank you to everyone in the past week who has privately and publicly expressed their support of me. I am eternally grateful."
Mayor John Cranley also released a statement, saying, "Over the last 3.5 years it has been my pleasure to work collaboratively with Mr. Black in our efforts to stabilize the City’s finances;—including the passage of three structurally balanced budgets and an upgraded credit rating—improve our ability to deliver basics services through the Office of Performance and Data Analytics; and get our roads back to good through infrastructure investments. Assuming Council approves, I wish Mr. Black the best of luck in his future endeavors and I thank him for his service to the City of Cincinnati."