Editorial: Norman should resign or be fired

Published 8:53 am Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Albert Lea City Manager Jim Norman should resign.

Immediately.

If he doesn’t, the Albert Lea City Council should fire him.

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He faces felony and gross misdemeanor charges related to misuse of public funds. He allegedly used the city credit card for personal use on items ranging from a refrigerator to women’s shoes and later claimed they were moving expenses, despite explanations from city staff on how to use the credit card properly.

Even if Norman is exonerated from these allegations, there is no way the man can lead the city government following such a divide between Norman and the department heads who discovered the discrepancies. There is no way the people of Albert Lea could ever fully trust him with their tax dollars ever again. There is no way the Albert Lea City Council could look Norman straight in the eye for an honest answer after the upcoming court fight.

Norman presently is on suspension with pay pending the outcome of a City Council special meeting on Thursday.

Norman might decide to hold out for a severance package or some kind of deal, instead of merely stepping down.

But we suggest this to our city leaders: The people of Albert Lea do not feel that Norman deserves one thin dime in severance. He does not deserve one red cent in pay, either.

If at some future date it turns out the allegations are untrue, that is was all some big mistake, then and only then give him the necessary back pay.

On Thursday, the City Council should ask Norman for his immediate resignation. If he does not give it, then the council should summarily terminate his employment.

True, people are innocent until proven guilty. But for employment purposes, city managers are held to a higher standard than most workers. City managers should not and cannot find themselves facing felony charges in the first place. City managers should not and cannot get mired in legal trouble, in particular when it comes to the spending of the public funds.