THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 3, 1994 TAG: 9407020208
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 13 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
LENGTH: Long : 374 lines
CHARLES JOHNSON
Title: Director of Human Services
Age: 36
Years of service: Unavailable
Personal: Unavailable
MIKE GOODRICH
Title: Public Works coordinator
Age: 41
Years of service: 21
Personal: Wife works; they just sent daughter to college
KENNETH SCOTT
Title: Senior Engineer Inspector
Age: 31
Years of service: 5
Personal: Responsible for inspecting sewer and water lines, storm drains and new streets for the entire Churchland area, co-worker Robert Stainback said. ``Actually we're understaffed. I can't believe it,'' Stainback said. ``I really honestly didn't think we'd get hit.''
LINWOOD BAKER SR.
Title: Senior Supervisor Streets and Highway Maintenance
Age: 47
Years of service: 16
Personal: One child still in college
Quotable: ``I knew it was here, but I didn't know it was this close to me. I don't know what I'm going to do right now. I'm doing pretty good. I don't let it get me down. I loved it here, this was (to be) my last stomping grounds. I had planned to retire from here and go nowhere else.''
BRYANT ROWLEY
Title: Assistant Director, Traffic Engineering Department
Age: 49
Years of service: 27
Personal: Married; 13-year-old daughter; wife works as legal secretary; immediately put house up for sale
Quotable: I'm still in shock. I know of some people who after they received their layoff notices just walked off their jobs. I know they're angry and upset, but this isn't a time to burn bridges.
PAUL LIPSCOMB
Title: Traffic Maintenance Parking Operations Manager, Traffic Engineering Department
Age: 47
Years of service: 25
Personal: Divorced; child support for 15-year-old daughter; not eligible for retirement
Quotable: I'm upset and I don't think the full impact has hit me yet. When I was promoted nine months ago, I was told I was needed and that I was a valuable employee. Obviously, I wasn't as valuable as I thought. It's not going to be easy finding another job at my age.
CESAR NAVALES
Title: Senior supervisor, street cleaning and bulk refuse
Age: 61
Years of service: 19 years
Personal: Navales already had decided to retire early. Reached at his home Wednesday, Navales didn't even know at that point if his job had been eliminated. But he does know he plans to relax.
CLARENCE FIELDS
Title: Janitorial Building Maintenance Supervisor (Co-workers say he's actually paint supervisor)
Age: Unavailable
Years of service: Unavailable
HERBERT R. MOORE
Title: Properties Management Senior Superintendent
Age: 47
Years of service: 6 1/2
Personal: Wife works; children grown
Quotable: I think it's been handled very poorly. If management had done their job in the past they wouldn't have to do this. They have all these high-powered executives and they couldn't take care of a manning problem in five years. I think they've got a problem. I think they didn't have the guts to do what they should have done, so they hired this hatchet company to come in. Unfortunately, I think some good people went along with them just to make it look like it was fair. Personally I have a gut feeling, the consultant did what they were told to do. I would like to know how they plan on having a more efficient operation if performance had nothing to do with it.
JOHN KIRK
Title: Vehicle Services Auto Mechanic Supervisor
Age: Unavailable
Years of service: Unavailable
CARL GARRETT
Title: Senior Water Distribution Operator
Age: Unavailable
Years of service: Unavailable
ROBERT E. SEED
Title: Water Construction Superintendent
Age: Unavailable
Years of service: Unavailable
JOHN W. WILLIAMS
Title: Sewer and Drain Construction Superintendent
Age: Unavailable
Years of service: Unavailable
FRED HARTLOVE
Title: Wastewater Pumping Superintendent, Department of Public Utiities
Age: 57
Years of service: 35
Personal: Married; wife is a homemaker; will take early retirement with a 30 percent reduction
Quotable: It's kind of hard to understand how they're cutting jobs in the only department that brings in revenue. When I was told my position was being cut, I felt kind of let down. I've worked hard for this city for almost 35 years and now my career is being cut short. ... Morale is real low. The city is losing a lot of good men. People are very bitter because they believe this whole thing was planned. The people in City Hall already knew who was going to be fired before they got the results back from the consultants. The whole thing is just real peculiar. And if Wayne Orton is so broken up about people losing their jobs, if he's so concerned, why was he the only employee in the city to get a raise this year?
JIMMY WOOLARD
Title: Automotive Mechanic Supervisor, Department of Public Utilities
Age: 35
Years of service: 9
Personal: Married; wife drives a school bus; two children, ages 4 and 14; held a supervisory position for all but 1 year while employed with the city
Quotable: This has been really depressing. I thought I was making this job my career. That's why I went to work for the city nine years ago. I felt I could provide better for my family. ... I think the city could have gone about this in a lot more personal way. For example, the way it was explained to me, if any other positions open up and somebody who was laid off wants to apply, they'll have to compete with the general public. I don't agree with that.
LINWOOD STRICKLAND
Title: Building Inspector Coordinator
Age: Unavailable
Years of service: Unavailable
CHARLIE MILLS
Title: Administrative Analyst
Age: Unavailable
Years of service: Unavailable
DEBORAH HARRIS
Title: Chief Electrial Inspector
Age: Unavailable
Years of service: Unavailable
WILLIAM A. ``BILL'' HAGY
Title: Mechanical Inspector
Age: 60
Years of service: 6 3/4
Personal: Married; two grown children; retired Exxon employee
Quotable: I want to work for five more years. I like to work. I'm going to apply for another job with the city and I hope they will be fair with me. ... There were some jobs (for inspectors) open in Suffolk and we could have applied over there if we had known sooner. Now those jobs are filled.
CHARLES T. ``TIM'' BATEMAN
Title: Plumbing Inspector
Age: 33
Years of service: 9
Personal: Ordained, licensed minister; married; 7-year-old son
Quotable: I took a cut in pay nine years ago to go with the city. Ironically, I did it for job security. . . . I was surprised at the cuts (in Environmental Services) because I've had more work recently than I've had in several years. . . . But I have 17 years experience in plumbing so I can work.
BARBARA LEWIS
Title: Drafting Technician Supervisor
Age: 54
Years of service: 33
DON BROWN
Title: Director of Emergency Services/Safety
Age: 59
Years of service: 31 years, including 23 with the police department
Personal: Grown children; one year away from being able to collect retirement
Quotable: I expected it. I looked at the worst-case scenario. It did not include losing me and my assistant director. I think that's a terrible mistake and the timing is bad. We're in hurricane season. I think they're already undermanned in Information Technologies, and I don't think it's going to be a positive move. ... Some people got hit that my heart goes out to. Tell the people that care anything about me I'm doing fine. Don't worry about me. I'm not Rockefeller, but I think I'll be able to deal with anything that comes along. I really want to just kind of chill out for a bit. The last three years have been the worst three years of my employment with Portsmouth. . . . I still feel a loyalty. The City of Portsmouth has been good to me. This particular administration has not been. . . . I think one of my biggest peeves is the fact that we have spent so many thousands of dollars for Total Quality Management and it wasn't utilized in making this decision. There will always be a cloud on this because it was not utilized. Nobody but a certain group of people was contacted in this. I think that's the bitter part of this.
GEORGE LATTIMORE
Title: Assistant director of Emergency Services and Safety
Age: Unavailable
Years of service: Unavailable
ANNIE KENT
Title: Superintendent of Central Files, Department of Information Technology
Age: 51
Years of service: 24
Personal: Married; husband is retired
Quotable: I half way knew the layoff was coming. It's just how the system works. But if this had happened 20 years ago when my children were small I'd have been very upset. But now I have to look at my blessings and as of July 16 I'll just set out and try to find another job.
JOHN RAYNOR
Title: Park Maintenance Coordinator
Age: 49
Years of service: 17
MARVIN HOOKS
Title: Landscape Services Park Maintenance Superintendent
Age: 58
Years of service: 23
Personal: Decided two months ago to retire
Quotable: If they were laying off by seniority, I was way up the line. Now I might have saved somebody's job by retiring ... I don't know.
LEWIS ``PETE'' AYERS
Title: Grounds Park Maintenance Superintendent
Age: 53
Years of service: Contractural employee at the Bide-A-Wee Golf Course for one year
WILLIAM BROWN
Title: Assistant Director, Library
Age: 51
Years of service: Almost 24
Personal: Wife works part-time as a medical librarian; teen-age daughter; will be able to collect retirement at 55; was chaperoning a class trip to England when layoffs announced; wife picked him up at the Dulles airport Wednesday night
Quotable: I had been worried on the trip and the first question I asked was ``Do I have a job.'' And the answer was `No, you don't.' I was aware it could happen. But I really, bottom-line, was not expecting it to be this position. well-wishers who had called. . . . I have already started an application for another job and I will be working actively on resumes and getting them out as rapidly as possible. But I do have a great deal of uncertainty because of the fact that libraries all over are downsizing.
VELMA HALEY
Title: Senior Librarian Technical Processing (actually children's coordinator for the library system)
Age: 52
Years of service: About 5
Personal: Widow; no dependents
Quotable: I did not think that they would bother children's services, only because of the great need in Portsmouth for any type of educational services. Not knowing what criteria they used, you really can't comment on how this was handled. But the fact that they cut children's services I think says a lot (about) the priorities of the city. . . . The library is an an educational resource. When the school closes, the library's open. . . . It's going to be very tough, as far as the programming that we've done in the years I was here and the outreach going out to the schools and the day care centers and the parks and recreational centers. It's going to be felt. I'm sure they'll struggle along, but it's going to be felt because Mr. (Bill) Brown and I were the outreach librarians.
PATRICIA BYRD POND
Title: Administrative Manager, Department of Social Services
Age: 48
Years of service: 18
Personal: Divorced; mother of 20-year-old in college and 15-year-old
Quotable: I knew the study on layoffs was being done, but I wasn't concerned because I've done a good job and have had excellent performance appraisals. I didn't start to worry until June 16 when we were told that any reductions in force would be determined by seniority alone and not based on job performance.
ELLA CORPREW
Title: Home Health Care program administrator
Age: Unavailable
Years of service: Unavailable
IRMA FREEMAN
Title: Home Health Care Nurse, Home Health Care Department
Age: 58
Years of service: About 5
Personal: Married; grown children
Quotable: I came back into the office Tuesday afternoon after making a home visit and there was an envelope sitting on my desk. I was shocked when I opened it and read that I was being terminated. . . . This was handled very poorly, and I feel the city could have explored other alternatives. The people we service really need our help. I just came back from a home visit and that patient is very confused and upset and worried about how she'll be cared for.
CECELIA PAYNE
Title: Home Health Care LPN
Age: Unavailable
Years of service: Unavailable
BERNETTA TAYLOR
Title: Senior Account Clerk in Home Health Care
Age: 38
Years of service: 5
Personal: Married; three children
Quotable: I sort of felt this was coming because I'm involved with budgeting and the fiscal affairs of the department. I knew we couldn't survive. The department was running a deficit from time to time. . . . It'll be difficult but I'll make it. I'm really concerned for the aides who are losing their jobs.
DR. SOO LEE
Title: City Physician
Age: Unavailable
Years of service: 7
Personal: Announced her retirement prior to announcement that job would be eliminated.
TED MASTERS
Title: Grants Analyst
Age: 62
Years of service: 34
Personal: Decided about four months ago to retire
Quotable: I think it's going to have to come to hiring somebody. That's my personal opinion. But you give them a shot.
MORTON WILLIFORD
Title: Delinquent Tax Collector
Age: 60
Years of service: 33
Personal: Will officially retire Sept. 12 although his last working day was Friday. Wife retired; son is a high school senior
Quotable: I was going to (retire) around the first of next year, but a few months early won't matter. I was one of the fortunate ones. It's something I have never seen in my 33 years with the city. I think it could have been handled differently.
KENNETH KEE
Job: Director of Manpower and Quality Development
Age: 58
Years of service: 19 years MEMO: Related story on page 12.
SEPARATION PACKAGE
Two weeks notice before last work day.
Pay for 60 calendar days after last work day for all employees.
Employees with more than 10 years of service will receive 3
additional days pay for each year over 10 years up to a maximum of 60
days in a severance bonus payment.
Health/life insurance will continue for 60 days.
Employment Opportunities bulletin will be sent to home address for 12
months.
ANNUAL SAVINGS
Salaries - $1,586,364
Benefits - 396,591
(25% of salaries)
Total - $1,982,955
SERVICE LENGTH
30 years - 5
25 years - 5
20 years - 4
15 years - 5
10 years or less - 16
GENDER BREAKDOWN
City employees - 1,851
Total layoffs - 35
Male - 1,105 (60%)
Layoff - 25 (71%)
Female - 746 (40%)
Layoff - 10 (29%)
AGE DISTRIBUTION
61 or older - 3
60-56 - 8
55-51 - 7
50-44 - 7
43-41 - 3
40 or younger - 7
RACIAL COMPOSITION
City employees - 1,851
Layoffs - 35
Whites - 1,030 (56%)
Layoffs - 20 (56%)
Blacks - 792 (43%)
Layoffs - 14 (40%)
Other - 29 (0.02%)
Layoffs - (0.03%)
ILLUSTRATION: Photos
Charles Johnson, 36, Director of Human Services
Cesar Navales, supervisor of street cleaning, worked for the city
for 19 years.
Don Brown, director of emergency services and safety served the city
for 31 years.
Patricia Byrd Pond
KEYWORDS: PORTSMOUTH CITY EMPLOYEES DOWNSIZING LAYOFF REDUCTION
IN FORCE by CNB