Letter: I cannot work for a city manager like this

Letter: I cannot work for a city manager like this

Dan Davis
Bunnell, FL

Dear Editor:

I resigned as City Clerk of the City of Bunnell tonight, because I can no longer work for a man like our City Manager Armando Martinez.

The citizens of Bunnell need to know that Armando was approached a couple weeks ago by our Police Chief, Jeff Hoffman, who admitted to having an extramarital affair with the Finance Director, Cissy Bertha, since last August.

Hoffman stated they were leaving their families and were serious. Armando’s response is that it’s “a personal private matter” and there is nothing he can do about it.

Now think about this — your Chief of Police, who is responsible for the safety of our city, and the Finance Director, who is in charge of millions of the cities dollars, have lied to and cheated on their spouses for 8 months; yet the City Manager “trusts” them in their jobs.

No discipline, no demotion, no nothing. He also briefed the city commissioners on the extramarital affair, saying he couldn’t do anything about it. The truth is that he chooses not to do anything about it. Make up your own minds.

Do you think it’s okay for two people in leadership and decision making positions, such as chief of police and finance director, to be able to keep their jobs under these circumstances? Each employee is held to the employee code of conduct which states that any behavior, on or off duty that brings discredit or embarrassment to the City is in violation of the Code of Conduct.

I ask you; if lying, cheating, and being dishonest isn’t a violation of the code, then what is? Integrity is required to handle the city’s finances and to lead police officers. You can’t lack personal integrity and have professional integrity. You either have integrity or you don’t. Yet, our city manager says “it’s a private matter.”

Is that who you want in a city manager? Someone who doesn’t think there is anything wrong with two department heads having an extramarital affair with each other. I would think the Bunnell tax payers would expect better from their city manager, and from their city commission.