Harry Black's tumultuous tenure as Cincinnati city manager: Threats, lawsuits, turnover

By any measure, City Manager Harry Black just had his worst week ever at Cincinnati City Hall.

His spat with a top police official prompted Mayor John Cranley to ask Black to resign, setting off a crisis that has reverberated from police headquarters to City Council chambers to neighborhood gatherings. But despite the drama and high stakes, it was not entirely surprising.

Black's leadership style has always been front and center. Whether he's right or wrong, successful or unsuccessful, Black's tenure has been defined as much by the way he does things as by what he has accomplished.

Where he sees strength and determination, others see bullying. Where he sees focus and drive, others see a single-mindedness that sometimes runs over people on the way to achieving his goals.

"Black hasn't always been as collaborative with council as I would have liked," Councilman Wendell Young said in an interview.

Young sparred with Black over firing former Police Chief Jeffrey Blackwell, but the two have set aside their differences and worked well together since.

"He has gotten better and has grown into his role of city manager. It appears that his growth is troublesome to Cranley. Harry's style has mellowed from 'Pit Bull' – my way or the highway – to a no-nonsense, get-the-job-done approach."

A dramatic week ends with a bombshell

The most recent trouble started with The Enquirer's publication Tuesday of an internal police audit that found problems with the department's overtime practices. A police commander filed a sexual discrimination complaint claiming she'd been singled out in the audit because she's a woman and a supporter of Police Chief Eliot Isaac.

Black was furious when details from the audit leaked. He said "rogue elements" in the department's upper ranks were "corrupt" and working against him and the chief because they are black. He threatened to call in federal prosecutors to investigate.

Then Black forced out Assistant Police Chief Dave Bailey, a 31-year veteran of the force. Mayor John Cranley questioned the decision, but Black didn't budge. As tension escalated, Cranley asked Black to resign in a meeting Friday afternoon.

Black has not publicly discussed the situation since, saying Saturday that he has "no comment at this time."

As everyone returns to work Monday, the question now is, should he continue to be the city manager?

The answer depends on whom you ask.

When it comes to getting things done, Black shines, his supporters say. Under Black the city started a data analytics unit, which he says has saved millions of dollars. The city's bond rating was upgraded and he rolled out a plan to fix the city's crappy roads and aging fleet of police cars, ambulances and snow plows.

In June 2017, Government Finance Review, the Government Finance Officers Association's membership magazine, had this to say about Black: "Cincinnati's performance and data analytic initiatives have enhanced customer service delivery, increased accountability and stimulated economic activity through information sharing.

The project, the magazine said, "was made possible by strong executive leadership."

Council twice gave Black raises, taking his salary from $245,000 to $261,283 today.

But it's the missteps that have drawn the most attention.

More: Who's who in Cincinnati Police Department mess

More: Timeline: Five days of drama

His critics say the repeated outbursts, the accusations of retaliation and his rocky relationship with Cranley show it's time for Black to go. But that decision is really up to City Council and right now the majority isn't ready to draw up a pink slip. Unless, of course, Black resigns as Cranley has asked, surely with a settlement similar to Bailey's in hand.

Councilman Kevin Flynn, who worked with Black from 2014 until 2017 before deciding not to run for re-election, said he has always liked Black, but that he's "disappointed by some of the recent decisions he has made."

"I have known Dave Bailey since he was a District 5 commander," Flynn said. "Assistant Chief Bailey will tell it like it is, even if you don't want to hear it. In my interactions with him, he has always been supportive of the chief and the city. I don't think you can fire a man of Dave's abilities and not provide an explanation to the mayor, council, or the citizens of the city of Cincinnati.

"This is not good management."

It's not the first time Black's management style has been called into question. His three and a half years as Cincinnati's CEO has been tumultuous.

During questions about a payment to a sewer district contractor, two council members called him a liar.

His firing of former Police Chief Jeffrey Blackwell, and the contentious hearing where it was detailed, prompted an outcry among many of the same people who are defending him now.

His relationship with the mayor was so bad after they fought over union raises that council held a hearing to discuss Black's job status, which ended with council supporting him.

He threatened FOP president Dan Hils in a late-night phone call, prompting Hils to file a harassment complaint with the police department.

Two city employees have accused Black of verbally threatening them. Four other employees have filed lawsuits against Black personally, alleging retaliation for whistleblowing. Black has denied the allegations.

From success story to 'Pit Bull'

Black's early story is compelling. He grew up in a tough neighborhood of Baltimore that was plagued by poverty and crime, but grabbed opportunities to get out. His career spans the private and public sectors.

In Richmond, Virginia, where he was the city's chief financial officer from 2005 to 2008, he was dubbed "the mayor's pit bull" for the way he went about implementing the mayor's vision. City Council twice vetoed a promotion for Black, citing his aggressive personality, according to a Baltimore Sun story written in 2012, when Black was tapped as that city's finance director.

Black left Richmond in 2008 to work for his wife's government service firm before being tapped in 2011 to be Baltimore's finance director. There, Black cut the deficit and helped raise the city's bond rating, but there were also accuracy issues with tax bills and allegations of failure to maintain proper books, according to a 2014 Baltimore Sun story.

Cincinnati is his first time in the top job. He oversees 6,500 employees in 25 departments, managing a $1.4 billion budget.

He was hired after Cranley was elected in 2013 – selected by the new mayor and unanimously approved by council.

During his interview process, Black acknowledged problems in Richmond but said his nickname was a mischaracterization. In an interview with The Enquirer while he was being considered for the Cincinnati job, Black said "I'm open, but decision and mission-driven. You can do that by also being collaborative."

Black decisions draw public criticism

Black was first thrust into public view after he began warring with former Police Chief Jeffrey Blackwell, who came as crime rose in the city. In the summer of 2015, Black ordered Blackwell to come up with a 90-day plan, but crime continued to rise. Behind the scenes the two men didn't get along.

In July 2015, armed with two blistering reports on the department's morale and the chief's leadership, Black fired Blackwell. Black portrayed the chief as a poor manager who belittled his staff and broke department rules. He said Blackwell treated staff members so badly they sought psychological counseling.

Supporters of the African-American chief crammed into City Council chambers, praising his commitment to community-oriented policing. They said while the accusations against Blackwell were serious, the firing process was heavy-handed and unfair.

"Instead of being at fancy dinners and ribbon cuttings, he was in our community getting to know us," Councilman Chris Seelbach said of the chief that day. "That is something we should applaud and be standing by."

Black was again in the spotlight the summer of 2016 after The Enquirer detailed a $55,000 payment made to politically connected sewer district contractor Sam Malone, whose pay was filtered through a Columbus law firm, even though the firm did not supervise his work, approve his invoices or authorize his pay.

At issue was a call to the law firm ordering them to pay Malone, despite a lack of work product. Employees with knowledge of the payment had to testify, with one city lawyer describing Black's tone as "intense" and "aggressive."

Council called Black to explain in a public hearing, resulting in Councilmen Young and Seelbach saying they concluded Black was lying about what transpired.

"I am not apologetic about my leadership style," Black said in a statement after the hearing. "It has resulted in a great deal of positive change. I have no regrets about instructing staff to move swiftly to correct a deeply flawed arrangement."

Outbursts mar problem solving

In the last six months Black has twice been publicly accused of berating employees. In November, Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 69 President Dan Hils made public a late-night call from the manager.

Black, angry that Hils was trying to keep two officers accused of racial profiling from being interviewed by an independent police monitoring agency, threatened to report Hils' meddling to U.S. Justice Department.

Nothing came of it, except public embarrassment for Black when Hils released the recording.

Then last month, Elizabeth Christenson, who worked in the city's Emergency Communication Section overseeing 911 technology, quit, detailing in an exit memo a bad experience with Black.

She wrote in the memo that Black's management of the 911 center is so poor that it "poses a threat" to public safety. She described a December 2016 meeting in which Black "angrily lashed out" at her when she raised concerns about operations at the center. Black then threatened the jobs of people working on the project, pointed a finger in her face and said if Christenson could not do her job, "he would find somebody who could," she wrote in the memo.

Later, when talking about what happened, Black asked her if he could give her a hug, she wrote.

"While I did agree to the hug, it was horribly uncomfortable as it was unprofessional," Christenson wrote.

She told The Enquirer the decision to leave was difficult, because she loved working in public safety, and writing the memo even more difficult.

"I wanted to make sure I was thoughtful, but what it came down to is since that December day when Harry yelled at me, is that Mr. Black empowered anyone to bully people," she said. "I witnessed bullying. I experienced bullying. And it was always brushed aside. I felt like people in leadership needed to know."

In the aftermath of the memo being made public, Black wrote his own memo to council, saying changes needed to be made in the 911 center and some employees were resistant.

On the matter of the hug, Black said, "If I made her feel disrespected, I sincerely apologize as this was in no way the intent."

Chadrian Johnson, acting president of CODE, which represented Christenson among about 930 professional city employees, said she understands being the city manager is a challenging job. However, she said, "I think the way the city manager has been behaving lately raises concerns about his temperament and judgment.

"We want to see the city manager advocating for a professional work environment and for the respect the dignity of city workers," Johnson said.

Other employees have quietly walked away from the city. Under a new administration, department head changes are expected. But under Black, there has been an exodus of top city officials. Two different economic development directors have left, the planning director retired and the human resources director left to go back to school. The transportation director took a job in North Carolina. Metropolitan Sewer District Director Gerald Checco retired.

There's a new recreation director and new Cincinnati Water Works director.

Even the person in charge of Black's oft-praised data analytics department has left.

Just recently Assistant City Manager Sheila Hill Christian, who was brought in by Black, resigned.

Accusations of retaliation detailed in court records

In a three-month span last year, four city employees filed federal lawsuits accusing the city and Black, and in some cases other department heads, of retaliating against them after they exposed wrongdoing in the city. While it's not unusual to see lawsuits against the city, the city manager is not typically targeted.

The cases, all relatively new, are pending. City lawyers have denied the allegations in court documents.

"None of these people wanted to sue the city and city manager," said lawyer Brian Gillan, who represents all four men and helped negotiate Bailey's settlement to leave the city. "They felt compelled to do so by the retaliation they suffered for trying to do the right thing."

Gillan said the city manager has consistently played the "race card." The facts don't support a racial motive, though, he said.

"The plaintiffs in these cases are white, black and Hispanic," he said. "The only thing they have in common is the city's manager's retaliation."

In the first, and highest-profile case, last September, Cincinnati Police Captain Jeff Butler alleged he wasn't promoted because he complained that a city program that meant to bolster inclusion is costing taxpayers more money than they'd pay without it and that Black had a personal relationship with one of the owners.

A month later, Cincinnati Fire Department District Chief Raffel Prophett alleged in his lawsuit that others were promoted instead of him because he complained about wrong-doing in the department.

Then on Nov. 3, Gary Colorez, a former superintendent of the city's Public Works Department, alleged he was fired Sept. 8 after making a complaint similar to Butler's.

On Nov. 28, Police Sgt. Jeffery Dunaway filed his own lawsuit, alleging he was denied a transfer out of District 5 in retaliation over a complaint that his and other city employees' medical records were posted online.

What happens now in Black's showdown with the mayor? If he doesn't quit voluntarily, Cranley would need five votes on council to fire him. So far there is no groundswell of support for that approach, either in the community or among council members.

Five of Cincinnati's most prominent African-American groups came to Black's defense Saturday, saying Black "was well within the exclusive authority of his position with the personnel decision he made regarding Assistant Chief Bailey."

In a series of tweets Sunday morning, Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld tweeted that he continues to support Black.

"The positions of Police Chief and City Manager are difficult, complicated jobs," Sittenfeld wrote. "Let’s all take a deep breath and do what our fellow citizens expect us to do: avoid unnecessary fighting, be respectful of all constituents, and work together to move our city forward."