MAYOR HERENTON, JOB CREATOR

National politicians make promises about job creation during every political cycle. It is usually all talk and hot air. However our local Mayor, WW Herenton, takes this job seriously. With this article I am posting the personnel files from the two most recent Deputy Directors, Tony Elion (Solid Waste) and Yalanda McFagdon (Public Services). Both start at $100,897.68. Then before I could get these two posted, WW announces that his good friend Joseph Lee, late of the MLGW and pumping for over $400,000 from the MLGW in legal fees, has been appointed as another Deputy, this time to the Park Service at $105,000. Also Maura Black Sullivan at the Office of Planning and Development at $98,000. Where will it end?

Take a look at the resumes of Yalanda McFagdon and Tony Elion.

Yalanda McFagdon:

Page 4- She got raised from $72,000 as Executive Director of Second Chance to this $100,000 job. On page 5 you will see that the funding grant for second chance ended. Second chance is a federally funded program intended to give at risk people another chance, a very worthy objective. However, who has ever audited or honestly reviewed the effectiveness of this and the thousands of other similar programs. These programs certainly give the Mayors a great opportunity to employ friends and cronies.

On page 10 see a letter to WW noting that the job title for Yalanda should be changed from WORKSORCE DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST to SPECIAL PROGRAMS COORDINATOR at a salary increase. Who ever said that job titles are not important. At City Hall, they mean big salary increases.

On page 12 you will see the re-employment form in 2000 after serving 5 months in prison in 1999 for concealing $70,000 in drug-dealing proceeds and interfering with a federal search. Previous to serving time, she was head of Herenton's bodyguard detail.

 

Tony Elion:

His resume is not nearly so colorful as Yalanda's but I do have to credit Yalanda for persisting in her education. Here again, he was involved in protecting the Mayor. Apparently this is the path to promotion. Could it be that they are both potential witnesses to events in our government? Who knows. But protecting the Mayor gets a 5% salary bonus for what could be hazardous duty service. (See page 5).

I can't wait to read the other personnel files from our Directors and Deputy Directors.

 

Click here to see parts of the personnel file of Yalanda McFagdon, your new Deputy Director of Public Services

Click here to see parts of the personnel file of Tony Elion, your new Deputy Director of Solid Waste