UPDATED: The finance director and assistant finance director at the city of Miami Beach both resigned abruptly Thursday just as the city finalizes its budget process and starts a financial audit.
The city’s Chief Financial Officer Patricia Walker and the Assistant Finance Director Georgie Echert both resigned on Thursday — in such a rush that their resignations are hand-written on lined paper and one line long.
“I hereby resign my position effective immediately,” wrote Walker, who had been there for 18 years and made $233,000 a year.
“I resign to the position of assistant finance director effective immediately,” wrote Echert, a 17-year employee who makes $165,000 a year.
No details. No thank yous. Nada. Like it was written up in a hurry and came as a surprise to them.
City Manager Jimmy Morales has not returned Ladra’s calls since Friday and was out for the holiday Monday (he’s Jewish?). But it is never good when the two top administrators of any one department resign on the same day. It’s usually a sign there was a problem.
Ladra’s sources say they were forced out and that they wrote those resignations on the spot in Morales’ office. One source said it was after he uncovered something to do with the improper transfer of paid leave.
But Ladra has another suspicion: That they were named by former procurement director Gus Lopez in his plea deal last week that got him out of jail. Lopez pleaded guilty Thursday to racketeering, money laundering and bribery charges for secretly selling sensitive information to businesses looking to land contracts with the city. He was facing 60 years, but got time served for the 34 months he’s been sitting in jail without posting bond.
Thursday was the same day that Walker and Echert resigned. Did they know something about it? Were they in on it?
On Friday, Morales sent a memo to all the commissioners to provide them information on their replacements.
“The purpose of this Letter to Commission is to provide information regarding personnel changes in the Finance Department. In response to the resignation of the Chief Financial Officer and the Assistant Finance Director on September 10th, I have decided to name John Woodruff, the current OBPI Director, as the Interim Director of the Finance Department. John has supervised the Debt Management function when he was Budget Director in Pinellas County and he has also previously worked with the City’s current Financial Advisor.
I feel that this move will keep the issuance of the Convention Center bonds on track, ensure the successful implementation of the Munis project, and provide a smooth transition of the leadership in the Finance Department. I have a lot of confidence in the existing managers and staff and John will collaborate with them to make positive changes to the department during this transition.
In addition, I have named Allison Williams, the City’s Chief Accountant, as Interim Assistant Finance Director. Allison is currently serving on the Munis/Energov Executive Steering Committee and this opportunity will allow her to provide additional leadership throughout the transition period.
We plan to advertise the positions as soon as possible so that we can fill these important positions in a timely manner over the next two to three months.
While change is never easy, I sincerely believe that many opportunities for positive change will be identified and implemented during this challenging time. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me directly. As always, thank you for your support.”
No details on what happened to bring about these “personnel changes.” Walker and Echert are not even mentioned.
Reached by the Herald, Echert said she was “of retirement age, and its time to move on.” But both women were in the DROP plan, meaning they had deferred retirement and kept on working. Sounds like an excuse to me.
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