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Outgoing Buena Vista Councilman Sends Scathing Letter To Council
July 4, 2010 | Virginia News
Buena Vista, VA (July 2, 2010) - Outgoing city councilman Mike Gibson was honored for his years of service to the community by a unanimously passed resolution of the city council on Thursday, July 1st, but he wasn't present to accept the honor from mayor Mike Clements.
It isn't clear why. But what is known is that Gibson went on record in a letter dated June 30, 2010 to his fellow councilmen that he wasn't happy about the resignation of Police Chief A. J. Panebianco.
Here is the full text of that letter:
"Fellow Councilmen:
"I was hoping to end my service to the city on a proud note, but I have to admit, I am ashamed of the actions that have taken place over the past two years regarding our police chief. We -- you have no honor or integrity when one of our group makes a habit of stepping out of ethical boundaries by making demands of our policy chief paired with threats to his job if these demands are not met. Demands such as personal favors, letting people go when they should be written up, and targeting certain people have become almost commonplace over the past two years. This is unacceptable.
"Like most of you, I have heard of these requests/incidents for quite some time, but have yet to take action. However this most recent string of events has led to the resignation of a fine man and excellent public servant who has chosen to resign rather than lose his integrity by continuing to be subjected to these unethical requests. It is my understanding that several months ago there were allegations of sexual assault from a female against one of our group, who went to the county sheriff's department to file a report. Unfortunately, they talked her into not filing the report. Later, the police chief was requested to turn over documentation relating to this alleged complaint. When he did not meet this request, he was told to turn it over or find a new job. These unethical requests among others were repeated over the past couple of months. The chief did not turn over these documents. There were rumors that if the city manager did not fire the police chief, the city manager would be looking for a job. These rumors create a hostile work environment in which people cannot succeed. These requests of the police chief are unethical, a gross misuse of political authority, and borderline illegal. I personally am glad that he did not succumb to the pressure or allow this situation to overshadow his job performance.
"As a councilman, I was never approached regarding such drastic personnel changes. To some of you, this may be the first time you have heard of this. There is not a complaint against the police chief on file. It should be obvious to all of you that he is being forced to resign because of personal, selfish agendas from some in our group. As I leave office, I have to say that I am ashamed of the lack of integrity that is being displayed in this situation by us all. We were elected to serve the public; not to accomplish personal agendas. Just because you do not like someone, or agree with their decisions, that does not mean they are wrong. Leaders must allow those who work for them to have the freedom to operate without feeling like they are under a microscope. Any good leader knows that you will not make everyone happy all of the time; if you try you will fail at your job. We have allowed one individual to taint the integrity of our city government. Our city is at a critical time and I urge you to focus on the larger issues at hand and not get caught up in childish rumors and innuendo. Look for the deeper motivation for the upcoming changes. I challenge each of you to have the guts to investigate this situation and demand honesty from all of those involved. Additionally, I challenge you to lead the city as you were elected to do and not let the words of a few "loud mouths" with a narrow vision for our city to direct your actions."
Mike Gibson
* * * * *
The resolution passed by city council Thursday said, in part, "Whereas, Michael E. Gibson has been instrumental in the decision-making process and visionary planning efforts for the city, always with the best interests of the community and its future in mind" and later, "Whereas, Michael E. Gibson leaves office after eight years of dedicated service that has improved the spirit and pride of his community leaving behind many valuable contributions of thoughts, time and much effort while serving on several boards, committees and commissions..."
Gibson's letter did not specifically state the name of the council members he accused of having a lack of personal integrity, but with respect to the item involving an alleged sexual assault, that person was the current mayor, Mike Clements.
Gibson ran for the position of mayor in the May elections, but was defeated by Clements, after having served eight years on city council.
There exists a seven page, highly-detailed account of an incident involving the mayor and a county female, written by that female, which was originally filed with the Buena Vista Police Department and later, with the county sheriff's department, detailed an incident at the Lexington Holiday Inn in August, 2009. In that document, she detailed being groped by Clements, who allegedly twice put his head to her chest and slid her hand down her back, among other items. She rejected his advances, but during the meeting of the pair, Buena Vista's mayor made all sorts of statements that appeared to serve up the image that he was a powerful politician with influence. And in that memo, Clements also allegedly indicated that he wanted to have the BV police chief, A. J. Panebianco fired, bragged about the income of his grass cutting business and more.
The
Rockbridge Weekly will print a substantial portion of this document in its edition of July 7, 2010.
Source: http://www.rockbridgeweekly.com/rw_article.php?ndx=17941
