Former Ann Arbor police chief resigns as Flint public safety chief amid questions about second job
Despite glowing reviews from his superiors, former Ann Arbor police Chief Barnett Jones resigned from his position as Flint’s administrator of public safety Thursday, according to a report in the Detroit Free Press.
Barnett Jones
Jones was working in that position in Flint while also serving as the head of security for the Detroit Water and Sewage Department, according to the report. Jones’ superiors in Flint were not aware of the second position until the Free Press asked them about his role earlier this week.
The report stated Jones has been working both jobs since May.
Flint emergency financial manager Ed Kurtz told the Flint Journal Jones resigned Thursday following a short meeting and submitted a one-line letter of resignation.
"He was working both jobs and had failed to tell us he was working for somebody else. We didn't know he was working for somebody else," Kurtz said. "We met with him this morning and he voluntarily resigned. He was very apologetic."
Jones announced in February 2012 he was retiring from his position as Ann Arbor’s police chief. In April, he accepted a position as Flint’s public safety administrator.
The Free Press reported Jones was making a combined $273,750 in both positions.
He was hired at the Detroit Water and Sewage Department by former city of Ann Arbor administrator Susan McCormick.
To read the full Free Press story, click here.
Kyle Feldscher covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kylefeldscher@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.
Comments
pluto77
Tue, Jan 15, 2013 : 12:23 a.m.
I see no problem with this. The man is just good at his job.
PineyWoodsGuy
Sun, Jan 13, 2013 : 3:48 a.m.
This TAKES THE CAKE!!! Has the man no shame?
walker101
Fri, Jan 11, 2013 : 2:54 p.m.
Like I mentioned back in April when he left A2, he's laughing all the way to the bank.
johnnya2
Fri, Jan 11, 2013 : 9:11 p.m.
@ Sonny, Are you consistent in saying military personal should not be paid after they are no longer WORKING in the military. I wan to see the right wing republicans run on that platform. Go for it.
SonnyDog09
Fri, Jan 11, 2013 : 6:25 p.m.
You should only get a pension check from a single government entity. You should also only get that pension check when you have actually retired, not simply changed jobs. I get really tired of being told that I have to pay more taxes for "essential services", and then learning of this kind of nonsense. A system that allows this kind of abuse, deserves no additional funding.
johnnya2
Fri, Jan 11, 2013 : 4:45 p.m.
So a person who makes money is now bad? He has a pension, just the same as a person who serves int he military has a pension and might take another job after he retires. Are you suggesting that TAXPAYERS should not pay that military pension to those who take new jobs after retiring?
Basic Bob
Fri, Jan 11, 2013 : 2:09 p.m.
Jones is chief security and integrity officer at DWSD. Clearly integrity is a problem in that organization, right from the top.
Alan Goldsmith
Fri, Jan 11, 2013 : 1:44 p.m.
"Steve Postema gets a cae allowance but bills the city for gas to th tune of $1100.OO for gas. as found in the city's audit" Saw this story in the Ann Arbor Chronicle. Will AnnArbor.com be covering the City Attorney's double billing mileage costs when he gets an automobile allowance? If not, why? http://annarborchronicle.com/2013/01/08/ann-arbor-audit-is-clean-but-issues-identified/#comment-185200
Alan Goldsmith
Fri, Jan 11, 2013 : 2:43 p.m.
Somehow the Ann Arbor Chronicle is reporting the information and got the FOIA release for the documents from the City. If the City or the A2 Public School system is stalling and delaying the open and transparent release of pubic information, they are going to subject themselves to an eventual lawsuit. I guess it doesn't helps to have the Ann Arbor City Attorney overseeing the release of information when it involved something he's done improperly.
Nicholas Urfe
Fri, Jan 11, 2013 : 2:36 p.m.
Investigation reporting is expensive. Also, the a2 government and school system does not release information without excessive FOIA charges. I read that in the a2politico.
Alan Goldsmith
Fri, Jan 11, 2013 : 1:34 p.m.
It makes me physically ILL to hear stories like this. Con artists have ripped off and plundered the Motor City for decades and here we have TWO ex-Ann Arborites joining the looting. Susan McCormick sounds incompetent and Barett Jones should go to jail for this. ENOUGH!
Alan Goldsmith
Fri, Jan 11, 2013 : 1:21 p.m.
From the Freep: "McCormick and Jones worked together in Ann Arbor, where she was administrator of public services and he was director of public safety. McCormick said Jones told her about his work in Flint after joining the water department, but she understood it to be on an "as-needed basis, not full-time." "If he's doing that, you've got a gentleman who's burning the candle at both ends," McCormick told the Free Press. McCormick said Jones' work for the water department has been exemplary." Uh huh....
Alan Goldsmith
Fri, Jan 11, 2013 : 1:17 p.m.
"He was hired at the Detroit Water and Sewage Department by former city of Ann Arbor administrator Susan McCormick." Good to see Ms. McCormick and Mr. Jones fitting in nicely with the political culture of the Motor City. And thanks to the Free Press for their investigative reporting yesterday too. She should be fired immediately and Mr. Jones should go to prison.
johnnya2
Fri, Jan 11, 2013 : 1:14 p.m.
I love how people are quick to condemn somebody for having two jobs (HORROR OF HORRORS). The question should only be DID HE DI HIS JOBS? The first sentence in the article seems to say he did them well "Despite glowing reviews from his superiors". . It is not like he worked in two completely different fields., or worked for a competitor. I always find it funny how people will complain about this, but then if you looked at the board of directors of most companies, they are CEO's of other companies. In fact, the athletic director at the UM has another job as well. It is the CHAIRMAN of Dominos pizza. Another member of Dominos BOD is the CEO of PF Changs. Brandon made $387k as chairman of Dominos and over $700k as AD of the UM. he also sits on the BOD for Burger King, Kaydon, DTE and other companies as well. If the BOD is supposed to provide oversight to these corporations, how much time does he spend doing any of these jobs?
johnnya2
Fri, Jan 11, 2013 : 4:42 p.m.
@Basic Bob, I am a commissioned/salaried person in my job. If I CHOOSE to take another job it is really none of my other employers business what I do with my time off work. What if he were running a side business out of his home? The ONLY question that either employer has is, IS HE DOING HIS JOB. Dave Brandon is salaried from the UM and makes money from Dominos. If negotiating a contract to be the pizza supplier to the school with Dominos is not a direct conflict of interest. As chairman and AD he has access to information that conflicts with his fiduciary responsibility to both. What Jones did has no bearing on his financial obligations to both employers. A salaried position is not paid based on time, It is based on the job. I guarantee there are times Mr Jones is working well before 9 am and well after 5 pm on both jobs. There are week sin my position I work 70-80 hours per week, and then there are weeks where I might work 30. My employer does not care because I am paid to do a job, not put in hours.
Basic Bob
Fri, Jan 11, 2013 : 1:58 p.m.
When you take a salaried administration job, the expectation is that you work well over 40 hours a week at it. Board of director and chairman of the board positions are not full time jobs, and the compensation reflects that. If he was doing some side work that would be acceptable to me, but he was clearly taking two full time checks for part time work. The big problem is that Flint did not know. Brandon's boss knows he is the chairman of the pizza company.
RunsWithScissors
Fri, Jan 11, 2013 : 1:26 p.m.
The other question is, was there a stipulation in his contract with Flint that says "no moonlighting". I think that's the crux of the matter.
LJ
Fri, Jan 11, 2013 : 6:52 a.m.
Just like his buddy Sheriff Clayton. Someone ought to see how much money Claytons making on the side with his consulting business.
Basic Bob
Fri, Jan 11, 2013 : 5:36 a.m.
Barnett's supervisor at the DWSD should be in trouble. This was unprofessional, unethical, and probably illegal. That's what you get for hiring double dippers to run your public service.
blameyourself
Fri, Jan 11, 2013 : 3:28 a.m.
This just shows the corruption in our major cities. Flint and Detroit are becoming one in the same....disgraceful pits.
Basic Bob
Fri, Jan 11, 2013 : 5:37 a.m.
Imported from Ann Arbor.
Jack
Fri, Jan 11, 2013 : 2:16 a.m.
Ms. McCormick was notorious among employees, while head of the public services division at the city of Ann Arbor, for hiring cronies with whom she had previously worked elsewhere, namely city of Lansing. The employees knew it, and the administration and Council knew it, and did nothing. Ms. McCormick is an intelligent and talented administrator; many of the people she favored with jobs were not: one was absent more than present, another filled a job the city had elminated years before the hire and found unnecessary. These people often already had pensions, came to the city to collect more pension and, importantly, medical benefits. Some are still employed by the city. So I am not at all surprised to hear that Ms. McCormick was involved in this.
Dog Guy
Fri, Jan 11, 2013 : 1:44 a.m.
As a tax parasite for the past half century, I applaud Chief Jones' virtuoso performance at getting paid. I have always told my kids that sucking on government teat beats working for a living, but they have never listened. I'll forward this story to them. Taxes isn't real money, but it spends the same.
huh7891
Fri, Jan 11, 2013 : 1:37 a.m.
Hmmmm..something is rotten in Denmark..er Flint.I mean.....Detroit..er. Ann Arbor..I'm so confused!
Sam
Fri, Jan 11, 2013 : 1:36 a.m.
well O.K, now,the former chief has two jobs working both jobs in the same time frame ,and his good ole buddy cuty attorney Steve Postema gets a cae allowance but bills the city for gas to th tune of $1100.OO for gas. as found in the city's audit.Both of these gentlemen have proved to be unethical.As a matter of fact both of them need to be punished by spending jail time just like the common criminals they are.
Michigan Man
Fri, Jan 11, 2013 : 12:33 a.m.
Dude seems to like public service and apparently the pay is pretty good!
Cash
Thu, Jan 10, 2013 : 11:58 p.m.
http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2012/04/hiring_of_new_flint_public_saf.html "Hiring of new Flint public safety administrator part of bigger plan, emergency manager says" Well it certainly WAS!!!
Rick Stevens
Thu, Jan 10, 2013 : 11:57 p.m.
So why isn't the Detroit Water & Sewage Dept. looking at Ms. McCormick's hiring and vetting processes? She had to know he already had a full time job? If not, then she's incompetent.
Jack
Fri, Jan 11, 2013 : 1:56 a.m.
She surely did know.
A2comments
Thu, Jan 10, 2013 : 11:45 p.m.
I hope Flint goes after him for everything they paid him.
Cash
Thu, Jan 10, 2013 : 11:36 p.m.
From the State of Mich website: Snyder applauds local-state partnership to enhance protection for Flint residents "This is problem-solving at its best," Snyder said. "We're working at the community, county and state levels to address a need so that Flint families enjoy greater safety. This is an excellent example of moving our state forward in a cooperative, positive manner. I appreciate the efforts of all who are involved and I commend our Legislature for its support by allocating critical funds." While he commended everyone involved in the partnership, Snyder singled out Flint Emergency Manager Mike Brown, Police Chief Alvern Lock, Public Safety Administrator Barnett Jones..... for their leadership." This is what can happen when political appointees get jobs based on who they know.
Seasoned Cit
Thu, Jan 10, 2013 : 10:45 p.m.
I'll bet he was just planning on holding each position for a while and then reiire again and he'd them have 4 retirenent payments coming in... Our "Civil Servants" have been learning how to work the system for quite some time now.
MyOpinion
Thu, Jan 10, 2013 : 10:33 p.m.
Let's hope he gets fired from his second job as well; he was clearly only working part-time. Interesting that the Detroit Water Department has plans to out-source about 80% of itsjobs - ex-Ann Arborite, Sue McCormack's recommendation. And, a company is hired to oversee the out-source operation. What will McCormack do? While, it is quite possible the Water Department was over-staffed and lots of redundancies, this is a glaring example. New & expensive hire works part-time and pulls in a full-time salary.
Soft Paw
Thu, Jan 10, 2013 : 10:25 p.m.
I admire his work ethic, but with so many still unemployed he should be able to survive on one job for a while. Anyone making 273K will be overtaxed anyway.
JRW
Thu, Jan 10, 2013 : 10:19 p.m.
So, neither of those jobs required a full-time commitment? Wow! Huge salary for a couple of part-time jobs. Was either one of the employers aware of the two positions? If not, what a scam.
The Watchman
Thu, Jan 10, 2013 : 11:39 p.m.
Sue McCormick was.
Westfringe
Thu, Jan 10, 2013 : 10:18 p.m.
Just another corrupt Kwame-ling.
timjbd
Fri, Jan 11, 2013 : 1:08 p.m.
That's was going on LOOOOONG before Kwame was on the scene. Kwame was just one of the more recent and incompetent practitioners.
Westfringe
Fri, Jan 11, 2013 : 2:09 a.m.
Corrupt official in SE MI taking chunks of money from poverty-stricken communities, seems pretty Kwame-like to me. If he was a lying dork taking the highest bid from his rich friends for government action against the people I would have said he's a Snyder-ling.
genetracy
Thu, Jan 10, 2013 : 11:41 p.m.
Thay are practicing Kwame style politics. The feds might want to look at their text messages.
timjbd
Thu, Jan 10, 2013 : 11:17 p.m.
This has zero to do with Kwame. Please explain your linking them...
Cash
Thu, Jan 10, 2013 : 11:06 p.m.
He was the Chief of Police in Ann Arbor and the Ms McCormick was with the Ann Arbor water dept....LONG term and has been in the Detroit water dept short term. . So how is that a Kwame thing? Perhaps we need the media to look at what is going on in Ann Arbor that made these two think they could do this...and get away with it.
cook1888
Thu, Jan 10, 2013 : 10:16 p.m.
A tailor made poster for Tea Party recruitment.
Cash
Thu, Jan 10, 2013 : 11:55 p.m.
Appointed after meeting with Snyder..... by Snyders Emergency Financial Manger.... See Mlive article. Pure Republican.
genetracy
Thu, Jan 10, 2013 : 11:40 p.m.
I am no member but does not the tea party stand for responsible government spending and accountablity? This mess smells of democrat party politics all the way.
GoNavy
Thu, Jan 10, 2013 : 10:14 p.m.
Another public "servant" who views us taxpayers as their meal ticket.
zanzerbar
Thu, Jan 10, 2013 : 10:12 p.m.
http://www.a2politico.com/2012/10/former-ann-arbor-public-services-administrator-starts-detroit-fire-then-throws-gasoline-on-it/
thinker
Thu, Jan 10, 2013 : 9:51 p.m.
As Lord Acton said, "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.". Need I say more?
Cash
Thu, Jan 10, 2013 : 9:48 p.m.
Is it just me or isn't it just a bit hypocritical to be comdemning Detroit and it's part in this fiasco? Both Mr Jones and Ms McCormick are former employees of the City Of Ann Arbor Michigan and we can assume it's that relationship that led to the hiring at the Detroit Water Dept. What they have in common is a background with the City of Ann Arbor....at the same time. Maybe we shouldn't point the finger too far. Shameful, but let's not just put it off as a "Detroit thing".
seldon
Thu, Jan 10, 2013 : 9:33 p.m.
What is it with police chiefs around here?
Nicholas Urfe
Thu, Jan 10, 2013 : 9:31 p.m.
It certainly looks like this was a way for McCormick to payback Jones for favors. Why else would she dual hire him, knowing of his publicly reported 3 year contract with Flint?
A2James
Thu, Jan 10, 2013 : 9:10 p.m.
If this kind of nepotism was going on during the end of his tenure as police chief, I would guess that Barnett Jones has done some other questionable things. Sounds like a good journalistic research project to me
SonnyDog09
Thu, Jan 10, 2013 : 8:49 p.m.
Can a2.com verify that he was also receiving a retirement check from Ann Arbor, too? Where are the usual posters regaling us with stories of "tireless and selfless public servants?"
SonnyDog09
Fri, Jan 11, 2013 : 2:46 p.m.
A fish rots from the head down.
The Watchman
Thu, Jan 10, 2013 : 11:34 p.m.
He still gets the same multiplier as any other police officer regardless of union status. Jones is collecting a pension from the following: Oakland County Sterling Heights Ann Arbor
timjbd
Thu, Jan 10, 2013 : 11:12 p.m.
This guy was management, not rank and file. BIG difference.
pseudo
Thu, Jan 10, 2013 : 8:47 p.m.
what is that water?
HB11
Thu, Jan 10, 2013 : 8:31 p.m.
There has got to be a conflict of interest with his Flint employment contract. That takes some gall. A full time position like police chief and he has enough time for another job 80 miles away.
Mike
Thu, Jan 10, 2013 : 8:25 p.m.
You just can't get enough of that taxpayers money on those government funded jobs. Not bad coin on top of his pension. But, this is the system we have created to enrich our public servants. There are many examples of this kid of stuff but it it never looked at and hardly ever exposed to the public. Want to make a name for yourself as a reporter? Take looking into this kind of stuff as your cause and expose it....................or just remain quite and pay for it with your taxes
grye
Thu, Jan 10, 2013 : 8:05 p.m.
It's tough making ends meet on only $135000 per year. Needed that extra income to push it to $273750.
Youwhine
Thu, Jan 10, 2013 : 7:59 p.m.
This is another great example of when annarbor.com should really write their own stories as opposed to simply linking to the work somebody else did. I mean, come on, how do you fail to mention the Sue McCormick connection? He helped her screw over cops and firefighters for years and she returns the favor with a high-paying no show job in Detroit. Nice.
Kai Petainen
Thu, Jan 10, 2013 : 11:24 p.m.
LOL I can't help but laugh at "Hello Youwhine" hahahhah
Sparty
Thu, Jan 10, 2013 : 9:05 p.m.
Only if you read the article, Cindy.
Cindy Heflin
Thu, Jan 10, 2013 : 8:28 p.m.
Hello Youwhine: The post above does mention that McCormick hired Jones, as does the Detroit Free Press article.
genetracy
Thu, Jan 10, 2013 : 7:55 p.m.
Detroit politics at its finest. I expected Kwame Kilpatrick's name to pop up in the article.
genetracy
Sun, Jan 13, 2013 : 10:58 p.m.
But they are acting like Detroit politicians.
Nicholas Urfe
Fri, Jan 11, 2013 : 2:32 p.m.
Those are ann arbor politicians.
timjbd
Thu, Jan 10, 2013 : 7:46 p.m.
Good ol' Sue McCormick.. http://www.a2politico.com/2012/10/former-ann-arbor-public-services-administrator-starts-detroit-fire-then-throws-gasoline-on-it/
Ed Kimball
Fri, Jan 11, 2013 : 5:41 p.m.
That's not reporting. That's editorializing (thinly) disguised as reporting.
timjbd
Thu, Jan 10, 2013 : 11:21 p.m.
Thank Pat Lesko... At least someone is doing investigative journalism in Ann Arbor.
Nicholas Urfe
Thu, Jan 10, 2013 : 9:28 p.m.
That link is a must-read. Thanks.
Youwhine
Thu, Jan 10, 2013 : 7:45 p.m.
Wait a minute... he was less than honest? How shocking. Once a liar, always a liar.
Nicholas Urfe
Thu, Jan 10, 2013 : 7:26 p.m.
He's just another person robbing the poor people of Detroit and Flint. You fight that crime Mr Jones! You fight it good. Though I'm not sure how he can look at himself in the mirror.
beardown
Thu, Jan 10, 2013 : 9:44 p.m.
The money to pay his salary at Detroit Water and Sewage could possibly come from the hikes in water prices the people who have their water service from YCUA just got. The money to pay his salary had to come from somewhere and he was robbing far more people than just the residents of Flint and Detroit.
YpsiVeteran
Thu, Jan 10, 2013 : 9:12 p.m.
Way to miss the point, Mike. This guy isn't the robber, he's the guy the robber handed some of the the money to on the way out of the bank. If the money wasn't handed to this guy, it would have been handed to a different guy. No one is disputing that the taxpayers are the bank. The point was we should stop the robbers, not the guys they are handing off to.
Mike
Thu, Jan 10, 2013 : 8:27 p.m.
He's robbing the taxpayers.......that's all of us last time I checked. The poor don't pay any income taxes so I'm not sure how they are being robbed. The money to fund Detroit comes from the taxpayers.............
YpsiVeteran
Thu, Jan 10, 2013 : 7:45 p.m.
I don't know the man, and if what the Freep is reporting is true I have no respect for him, but do you blame the person who accepted the salary or the morons who offered it in the first place? They are the ones with the responsibility to do right by the people of their communities. Especially in the case of Flint, where the Emergency Manager inexplicably added more layers of administration, at more than $100K a pop, on top of an incompetent police chief and all while slashing numbers of officers on the street. Why does a bankrupt community need what amounts to two police chiefs? Why didn't they get rid of the one who couldn't do the job, instead of leaving him in place and bringing in another functionary to do what the 1st was supposed to be doing? If it wasn't this guy collecting these salaries, it would be one or two other people...isn't the point more why this kind of money is being thrown around in bankrupt, completely disfunctional and crime-ridden cities more than it is who is collecting it?
GeeWhiz
Thu, Jan 10, 2013 : 7:23 p.m.
I bet he collecting a pension in addition to the $274k from both jobs. Unbelievable!
smokeblwr
Thu, Jan 10, 2013 : 7:21 p.m.
I guess the days of Kwamelot live on in Detroit.
Cash
Thu, Jan 10, 2013 : 11:12 p.m.
And yet.....these two were both administrators for the City of ANN ARBOR......have we forgotten where they were trained on how to be administrators and work the system? Neither of them have been gone from here for very long. Neither worked with Kwame but they sure did BOTH work together in Ann Arbor!
towncryer
Thu, Jan 10, 2013 : 10:53 p.m.
days of Kwamelot....LOL!
Nicholas Urfe
Thu, Jan 10, 2013 : 9:20 p.m.
That is Sir Kwamelot to you!
Nicholas Urfe
Thu, Jan 10, 2013 : 7:19 p.m.
There is never just one roach. I refuse to believe this is the first time he has compromised himself, and his position. I consider this criminal fraud, and I would be shocked if this is the "only roach".
Nicholas Urfe
Thu, Jan 10, 2013 : 7:14 p.m.
The sewage department is where he truly belongs. I guess integrity is for the little people. Did Detroit know he had a second job?
Craig Lounsbury
Thu, Jan 10, 2013 : 7:08 p.m.
From the link to your February story... "Jones announced his plan to retire after nearly 40 years in law enforcement through an email sent to employees, sources said." I guess what he really meant was.... "Jones didn't announced his plan to take another job in law enforcement and add a security job on top of it after nearly 40 years in law enforcement"
Zhuk
Thu, Jan 10, 2013 : 7:05 p.m.
It just shows how little responsibilty people in upper management actually have. Many of them draw huge salaries, attend a few meetings a week and make a few decisions. Try working two 9-5 hourly jobs concurrently in two towns that are 50 miles apart and get away with it for 8-9 months. He cant have been doing both jobs... prosecute him for fraud or embezzlement.
beardown
Thu, Jan 10, 2013 : 9:42 p.m.
I doubt it will happen as one side would have to admit that they had little or no control over their top administrator, nor knowledge of whether or not he was actually ever working. And having seen the recent track record of these two areas civic leaders, this really isn't all that shocking anymore. Which is really depressing.
Nicholas Urfe
Thu, Jan 10, 2013 : 7:18 p.m.
Agree. Fraud.
cinnabar7071
Thu, Jan 10, 2013 : 6:48 p.m.
Milk that system!
justcurious
Thu, Jan 10, 2013 : 6:43 p.m.
You have got to be kidding. Unbelievable. Or is it?