Burlington Parks Issue To Be Heard
Some more light has been shed on the firing and eventual re-hiring of Burlington Parks supervisor Adam Cate. Inappropriate access to emails was the main issue.
City officials have remained silent on the circumstances surrounding Cate’s firing in October, following a six-month investigation into Cate’s conduct and actions as the person in charge of the city’s waterfront operations. Personnel matters and discipline are supposed to be confidential.
In the meantime, Channel 3 News has learned that Cate was accused of hacking into the city’s email system in an attempt to find out what top city officials were talking about. There was also an allegation involving improper handling of cash derived from Parks and waterfront fees.
At issue was a proposed reorganization of the Parks department and its possible merger into the Public Works Department. The city’s Parks commission later re-instated Cate, but also handed him discipline — two weeks of suspension without pay, and six months of probation on the job.
The matter is expected to be discussed at Monday night’s City Council meeting. Council president Kurt Wright, R-Ward 4, says he’ll introduce a resolution calling for a full accounting of the money spent on an investigation of Cate’s alleged wrongdoing and the procedures that were followed. Wright has acknowledged that certain details of Cate’s case must remain confidential.
Tags: accounting, allegation, burlington parks, channel 3 news, city officials, council president, discipline, email system, job, merger, monday night, money spent on, personnel matters, probation, reorganization, six months, supervisor