Probe of campaign push sought
City employees face coercion, Kearns claims
Citing a “culture of fear” permeating City Hall, mayoral hopeful Michael P. Kearns called Monday for a state civil service and city Ethics Commission investigation into allegations that municipal workers have been coerced to “volunteer” on Mayor Byron W. Brown’s re-election campaign.
Speaking at a noontime news conference on the City Hall steps, Kearns, the South District Council member, said revelations in The Buffalo News of internal e-mails requiring service at Brown’s campaign headquarters indicate that civil servants are being “bullied and muscled” to work on the mayor’s behalf.
He promised that if he wins the Democratic primary in September and the general election in November, he would ban such activity. The News revealed that Community Services Commissioner Tanya Perrin-Johnson had e-mailed city employees outlining her expectations for them to volunteer at least eight hours per week, which Kearns called “coercive.”
“Employees should not be compelled by any city commissioner or department head to work on the mayor’s campaign — period,” he said. “Employees should only be expected to do their jobs.”
In his first real criticism of Brown in his so far quiet campaign, Kearns said the mayor has presided over “one of the most corrupt” administrations in recent memory.
“It’s time to sweep the corruption out of City Hall and start with a new administration,” he said.
The News reported Monday that Perrin-Johnson went so far as to suggest four-hour shifts on Tuesdays and another four hours on weekends.
If employees cannot work on the campaign on Tuesday or on a weekend, Perrin-Johnson wrote, “please notify myself and Dana Bobinchek at the e-mail above, and accommodations will be made for you to make up the time during the week.”
Bobinchek, an aide to Brown since the mayor served in the State Senate, was sent copies of the e-mails. He now makes $51,000 a year as a special assistant to the mayor.
Perrin-Johnson concluded her e-mail by saying: “Due to the importance and volume of activity, it is important that we all contribute to the re-election of Mayor Byron W. Brown. Also, recruit friends and family to assist.”
Perrin-Johnson earlier told The News that she saw no problem with the e-mails and said no city worker should feel coerced into working on the campaign.
Peter K. Cutler, the mayor’s spokesman, also said he didn’t see a problem because the e-mails were sent from and to private accounts.
“Is there a coercive nature to these? I would say no,” Cutler said. “There’s no threat; I didn’t hear ‘Be there or else’ or ‘Your job is dependent on it,’ ” he said.
That brought a stern response from Brown’s opponent.
“If the mayor does not feel that’s wrong, shame on him,” Kearns said Monday.
But Brown sounded a different tone Monday while presiding over two separate events.
“I did not know the e-mails went out when they did,” Brown said. “These employees should not have been instructed to do any campaign volunteering during work hours. That is not how we do business, and I do not support that. Campaigning is not in their job description, it is strictly voluntary.”
He also said Perrin-Johnson had not been instructed to suggest the volunteer work.
“Nothing should be done that looks coercive, this I want to stress, when dealing with campaigning,” Brown said. “While I appreciate the enthusiasm, I don’t want any employee to feel any pressure. It’s strictly voluntary.”
Kearns was joined at his news conference by Delaware Council Member Michael J. Lo- Curto, who called for a “Hatch Act,” similar to the one barring political activity by federal employees, at the local level.
He pointed to legislation he introduced in the Common Council that would prohibit such activity.
“This is just the reason we did it,” LoCurto said.
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