BY ANDREA TORTORA
The Cincinnati Enquirer
CRESCENT SPRINGS — The outgoing members of city council eliminated the city administrator position Monday after Mayor Ken Robinson fired George Stewart from the job.
Mr. Stewart, the city's former mayor, will receive $22,000, or six months' pay, for the early termination of his contract.
The surprise move was the last political show for a city council that saw a year of contentious debate about a city park and the way city business is conducted.
The council eliminated the administrator by a 4-2 emergency vote, bypassing the usual two-meeting method of such actions that would have given the new council final say. Mayor-elect Claire Moriconi and Larry Gronefeld voted no.
“Everybody was stunned,” Ms. Moriconi said. “I'm still in a state of shock.”
Mr. Robinson said he wanted to be sure Mr. Stewart could benefit from the full extent of his contract.
“I fired him because Ms. Moriconi said she was going to fire George and eliminate his position,” Mr. Robinson said. “If I didn't fire him, he would have had the right to contest whatever (Ms. Moriconi) did, and that would cost the taxpayers money.”
Mr. Stewart could not be reached for comment. He was appointed administrator nearly a year ago after resigning as mayor to apply for the newly created job.
The move angered residents, who filed an ethics complaint calling for Mr. Stewart's ouster.
The complaint alleged Mr. Stewart engineered the creation of the administrator's position and violated the city's ethics code by applying for it before he resigned as mayor.
Mr. Stewart served the city for 11 years as mayor and administrator. He presided over the building of a City Hall and the creation of a city park.
