THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, June 29, 1994 TAG: 9406290401
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TONI WHITT, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: 940629 LENGTH: PORTSMOUTH
City Manager V. Wayne Orton announced Tuesday he was laying off 35 employees, some of whom had been with Portsmouth for three decades.
{REST} He also said he was eliminating the entire Home Health Care department, including an administrator, two nurses and an account clerk. Private companies offer the same services, he said.
Although city workers had anticipated the layoffs for some time, the reality stunned many.
``I worked for the city for 27 years. I'm still in shock,'' said Bryant K. Rowley Jr., 49, the assistant director for the city's traffic-engineering department, who discovered he is to lose his job.
``I have already put my house up for sale, I can't afford to live in the house I'm in. I have a family, and knowing this was coming, we sat down as a family and made this decision. With the Lord's help, we'll take one day at a time.''
Orton delivered the bad news at a news conference that was attended by city workers who watched with tears or in stoic silence. The decision was based on an efficiency study performed by an outside consultant.
The layoffs included some of the city's top executives, such as Charles Johnson, director of human resources, and Kenneth R. Kee, director of manpower and quality development. Also targeted were assistant department heads, middle managers, supervisors, engineers and paraprofessionals.
The pink slips went to all age groups and followed almost perfectly the racial breakdown among the city's 1,851 workers.
Amid the layoffs, Deputy City Manager Roy W. Cherry announced that he will retire on July 1. Cherry's job was not recommended to be cut in the efficiency study, and Orton said he would begin searching for a new deputy manager.
Although Orton and Personnel Director Charlotte Fletcher referred only to positions and never to the people who were being laid off, those in City Hall quickly made the connections.
``I'm sort of relieved that we know who is on the list,'' Rowley said. ``Because I know it's a relief for a lot of people.''
Orton showed some emotion himself at the end of the news conference.
``It all sounds so cold and calculated,'' he said, ``but it's been very hard on me.'' He then quickly turned and walked away.
Orton said the layoffs are simply part of his commitment to smaller, more efficient government.
In addition to the layoffs, four city positions also were eliminated. One was already vacant and three are held by workers who had already applied to retire on July 1.
``I felt responsible to cut back,'' Orton said. ``Other cities have been raising taxes - just trying to get blood from a patient that's bleeding to death. I made a commitment that I wasn't going to do that.''
Orton estimated that eliminating the positions will save the city nearly $2 million a year.
There are 30 vacancies in mid- and upper-level positions at City Hall and another 100 openings in lower-level jobs. The city's hiring freeze will be lifted this week, and those jobs will be filled, Fletcher said.
Fletcher said the city is encouraging employees caught in the layoffs to apply for those open city positions.
``Finding 35 people jobs is not impossible,'' Fletcher said. ``We are also going to offer retirement options for those who may be eligible.''
Fletcher said the city upgraded its severance package Monday night to include more money for senior employees.
The employees will be laid off as of July 12. Most of the workers will get 60 days of severance pay, including health benefits and life insurance.
Fletcher said for every year of employment beyond 10 years, an employee will receive an additional three days in severance pay and benefits. So employees who have been with the city for 30 years will receive four months worth of severance pay.
Rowley said the layoffs were tough on everyone at City Hall - one receptionist cried as she tried to answer the phones in her department.
``The city is not the culprit,'' Rowley said. ``I think it's a sign of the times, we have to accept things sometimes whether we want them or not.''
Other employees were less understanding.
Mike Goodrich, a public works coordinator in the city's engineering department, said he intended to have an attorney look at his case.
``It wasn't done right,'' Goodrich said. ``There were a lot of other options that could have been taken. Regardless of what anyone's saying, 80 percent of the people on the list have had some sort of conflict with management.''
Goodrich, 41, has been with the city for 21 years but won't be eligible for retirement for another 14 years.
Goodrich and his wife just sent their daughter off to college. Goodrich said because his wife is working, they'll ``make it.''
``I've been prepared for this for a couple of months,'' Goodrich said. ``When I started hearing about the consultants' study, I started thinking I was put in this position to be ousted. With the Lord's help, I'll find something.''
Herbert R. Moore, a superintendent in properties management, said he also had suspected he would be fired.
``Too much politics was in play,'' Moore said. ``They didn't look at any alternative. . . there are several other ways that it could have been done. I think it was poor management.''
Moore said he has received only ``excellent evaluations'' and has never missed work due to sickness.
``You couldn't have found a more dedicated worker, and to be kicked in the butt, the way I was, is very poor,'' he said.
by CNB