Murfreesboro vice mayor involved in firing of Glen Godwin, attorney says

Scott Broden | Daily News Journal

An attorney for fired Murfreesboro Human Resources Director Glen Godwin accused Vice Mayor Madelyn Scales Harris of having a role in his termination.

Godwin's attorney Jay Jackson in a June 22 email to City Attorney Craig Tindall mentions a report regarding the Human Resources Department that was the basis for City Manager Rob Lyons initially asking for Godwin to resign.

"The report is, at best, hurried, sloppy and an obvious effort to accomplish a specific task which appears to be the termination of Mr. Godwin in an effort to gloss over the manner in which Ms. Scales has tried to manipulate and interfere with the process of giving city employees she favors raises and attempts to appease employees who appear to have the unconditional support of Ms. Scales," states the email from Jackson, an attorney with the Murfreesboro law firm Mitchell & Mitchell.

"She contacted Mr. Godwin twice in an effort to demand he take action to favor these employees," the email added. "In my opinion, her actions could be a violation of the city charter."

Harris declined to comment Thursday morning. Additional attempts to reach her for comment were unsuccessful that afternoon.

Vice mayor wants better pay for lower-paid workers

The night before, however, Harris did comment during a City Council meeting about improving employee pay for the government's lower-paid workers.

"People are living from check to check," the vice mayor said.

She contends the city has hired people and paid them more to do jobs than employees doing similar work who have been with the government for 10 years.

"It's happening, trust me," said Harris, who promised to provide Lyons with the details. "Our goal is to make our employees happy. You have to be fair. If we are fair, our employees will accept that. They just want to be treated fairly."

Human Resource employee interviews questioned

Jackson's email suggested that the city administration arranged interviews with human resources employees seeking raises after Harris was "interjecting herself into the administration."

"This was an unprecedented move by the city," Jackson's email states.

The administration made arrangements with a private lawyer in Nashville to conduct interviews with the Human Resources employees about management issues, city spokesman Mike Browning recently said.

Browning in a June 21 email to The Daily News Journal reported that Godwin took a personal leave June 15 before Lyons fired him, but an email dated June 23 from the city attorney to Jackson described the decision in a different way.

"Let me be clear, Mr. Godwin's employment with the city terminated on June 15," Tindall states in his email to Jackson. "Mr. Lyons discussion on that date clearly made Mr. Godwin aware that his employment with the city had ended."

City attorney says Godwin should accept termination

The city attorney's email notes that Godwin's information technology and building access was also terminated and instructions sent to the former Human Resources director told him to make arrangements with Lyons to pick up personal items.

"Given all the context, it is inconceivable and irrational for there to be any question about Mr. Godwin's employment status," Tindall's email states. "It is equally inconceivable that Mr. Godwin believes it is appropriate for him to represent to others that he is still employed by the city, which he has now done on at least a couple of occasions of which I am aware.

"It is impossible for Mr. Godwin to take leave from an entity in which he is no longer employed," Tindall's email adds. "It was the city's intention to provide Mr. Godwin some space to think through how he wished his termination to be handled before announcing his departure. That graciousness, however, has been abused."

Resigning still on table, Tindall says

The city attorney suggested that Godwin still had options.

"The only remaining question is whether Mr. Godwin chooses to be fired or to be allowed to resign in lieu of termination by accepting a severance package in return for a full release of any claims," Tindall's email states. "I feel I should be also clear here to preclude further gamesmanship; the city does not believe that Mr. Godwin has any legitimate claims whatsoever."

The email suggested that Godwin could reattain a severance agreement that includes existing sick time if he notifies the city.

Prior to the termination decision, the local advocacy group Tennesseans Against Corruption posted on its Facebook page that Godwin had been fired.

The advocacy organization includes members who successfully filed an ouster suit to remove ex-sheriff Robert Arnold from office in November before he pleaded guilty Jan. 18 to wire fraud, honest services fraud and extortion for illegally profiting off inmates at the Rutherford County jail through the sale of electronic cigarettes from a JailCigs business.

Follow Scott Broden at 615-278-5158. Follow him on Twitter @ScottBroden.