So you think you might have waited too long?

I think we could have done it a little bit sooner, but the people that came in had impeccable credentials. And on paper, they should have been able to do the job. It takes a minute to see if it measures up with what is on your résumé and what you’re able to do or accomplish. A lot of people take jobs they’re very well qualified for. But even though they are not retired, they are retired. (Laughs). They don’t want to work. And this is not a place for people who don’t want to work. This is a hard, hard place. You’ve got to work hard.

Did you read (Commonwealth’s Attorney) Mike Herring’s report on the investigation into your administration? What’s your reaction to the scrutiny over potential overlap between your church and city employees?

I did. I think you have to keep in mind that it’s an investigation that I asked for. Didn’t have to do that, but I wanted there to be no doubt that no impropriety took place. Some of the things he said were subjective, and he has a right to his opinion.

It painted a fairly negative picture even as it found no evidence of criminal wrongdoing, and he also said pretty clearly that you probably shouldn’t have done things the way you did.