SOUTHPORT — Two employees with the City of Southport were terminated yesterday after they were suspended and investigated in relation to the installation of Ring doorbell cameras on city property.
READ MORE: Three Southport employees suspended without pay
Director of Community Relations Randy Jones and Community Building Administrator Sydney Heil are out of a job. The two employees were suspended without pay on Oct. 27.
Kate Marshall of animal protective services was also suspended, but the city said she will return to her duties on Dec. 12.
“This decision was not made lightly,” City Manager Bonnie Therrien said in a city press release.
The city’s press release mentions the arrival of Ring doorbells, but it does not go as far to connect the employees with the installation or state how they violated city policies. Instead, the city wrote the following paragraph:
“Ring doorbells were installed at the Community Building in July of 2023 and were added for extra security and to communicate with guests and visitors at the front and back door. The Ring doorbell was purchased in October of 2023 for Indian Trail Meeting Hall for the same reason. The purchase of the Community Building system was reported in the Community Building report which appeared in the July 2023 Monthly Report to the Board and the public.”
At the time of suspension, the city would not provide a reason to Port City Daily for the action. As of press Tuesday, Therrien had not responded to PCD’s request for more information.
Per state law, a copy of the written notice of the municipality’s final decision “setting forth the specific acts or omissions that are the basis of the dismissal” is a matter of public record.
The investigation into the employees was conducted by attorney Ann Smith of Jackson Lewis, P.C., a law firm specializing in employment law, according to the city. It included numerous interviews by Therrien and Smith with relevant city staff and the three employees.
Mayor Joe Pat Hatem, who just lost reelection by two votes to aldermen Rich Alt, told PCD last month the suspension had “nothing to do with the performance of their job.” He added he recommended the three be placed on probation and allowed to maintain their employment.
In a Facebook post, Alt said the city manager told him some personal information was collected on him, but he didn’t know further details on why or who was involved. He reported elected officials were told to stay out of the investigation.
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