It’s now been two days since news broke that ADICA head and downtown manager Don Buie was being investigated by the GBI. So far, there’s been no public indication that the city is planning on doing anything but leaving Buie at the helm of downtown Albany, despite the fact that most other people being investigated for some form of professional misconduct would be given administrative leave first.
Let’s be honest here, the charges against Buie aren’t exactly insignificant. He’s accused not just taking a kickback, but asking for one, from a contract worker who claimed to have had a romantic relationship with Buie. The evidence that’s been available to the public is less than helpful for Buie as it stands. It doesn’t look good for the downtown manager.
In a lot of places, including the City of Albany, it’s not unusual for someone who is accused of professional misconduct to be suspended in some manner. Frankly, I would actually say with pay simply because there is an accusation and in this country you’re innocent until proven guilty and as such, you don’t suspend someone without pay without proof of guilt. That’s a punishment, and it’s not appropriate at this point.
But keeping Buie on the job during this time is a mistake.
The inner workings of ADICA and most of the City on a day to day basis is a mystery to most folks. We don’t see how much supervision he gets now, especially compared to when these acts allegedly took place. Leaving him on the job, even with greatly increased scrutiny, sends up red flags for a lot of people in Albany. By putting him on administrative leave, it shows that the City is taking the charges seriously, and that everyone is getting an equal shake…after all, what about Rod Jolivette?
Despite numerous reports, Jolivette was not actually fired. His employment status with the Fire Department was “suspended with pay”. By now, if you haven’t heard of Rod Jolivette, you either just moved to Albany. In either case, feel free to read here and learn just about everything you want to know, and some stuff you probably didn’t, about the former assistant fire chief.
The charges against Jolivette may arguably have been criminal, but not blatantly so. They were a misuse of government resources, but it was nothing like the charges against Buie. And Jolivette wouldn’t necessarily had the access to do something like that over and over again, which many in the community feel that Buie will have now.
While it would be inappropriate to fire Buie based on what is purely an investigation, the City needs to show that it takes this seriously. Not by punishing the man, but by stepping up and dealing with this in a manner consistent with the situation. Some form of leave with pay, at this time, seems the most appropriate and should be enforced immediately. After all, the people of Albany deserve to know that their city officials are looking out for them.
