Here’s a look at city government from street level. More than 100 HP police officers would start using body-worn cameras under a budget proposal. Chief Ken Shultz is asking for 135 new camera systems that include separate in-car and body camera components. City hopeful that opportunity zone investments in southwest HP (W. Green Drive corridor) will proceed. Those city leaders remained un-named. Former City Manager Greg Demko won’t have to repay any of the $50,000 his bosses (City Council) gave him. Under his previous contract Demko would have had to reimburse HP half of this retention bonus for leaving before November 2021. But a separation & release agreement approved by the City Council supersedes the contract. It also calls for the city to pay him $205,000 in severance over one year, as well as any accrued vacation pay. HP leaders have been tight-lipped about the departure of former City Manager Greg Demko. Mayor Jay Wagner said, “What I can say is, we’ve got a pretty good handle on where we are from a budget standpoint and what the budget is going to look like”. According to U.S. News & World Report’s annual public high school rankings, Penn-Griffin School for the Arts are included in the top five best high schools in NC. Penn-Griffin ranked fourth in the state and 179th in the nation. Citizens speak out about police cameras and City Council spending in letters to the HP Enterprise. Recent letters condemning spending for body cameras and Greg Demko’s separation pay, along with general disappointment with Mayor Jay Wagner’s performance appeared in the HP Enterprise recently. The city put curfew in effect from 8pm to 6am following a protest march in the city Sunday afternoon in response to the death of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis. HP police officers used pepper spray to disperse a crowd (less than 100) of protesters from S. Main Street & High Avenue. Mayor Jay Wagner commended the HPPD for their actions. Supporters of the HP Museum reacted with shock and sadness to the city’s recommendation to close the facility. ‘I’m pretty sure they can find money somewhere else—-find another area to take money from.”, said local historian Phyllis Bridges. No such outcry went up at the closing of Morehead Recreation Center. HP City Hall reopened after closing to allow for cleaning after an employee there tested positive for Covid-19. The HP Enterprise appears to have a short list of citizens whose letters are printed while devoting front page coverage to Jimmy Tomlin on past stories printed in the Enterprise.
Dred’s Discussion
