Whistleblower Reveals Gainesville Mayor, Craig Lowe Corruption in Hiring Personal Assistant

Craig Lowe is Contender for Worst Mayor in the History of Gainesville, Florida.

Local Gainesville Talk show Discusses the Mayor Lowe’s Incompetence and Corruption at City Hall

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On June 1, 2010 Garner was hired as the Mayor’s personal research assistant at a salary of $44,990 a year. The newly created job offered exclusively to Garner was a full-time, temporary position with no benefits and included Mayor Lowe’s personal recommendation.

It was recognized by the media and others that Garner was offered the job outside of normal a competitive process where human resources is supposed to be invlolved in considering multiple qualified candidates of diverse ethnic origin.  Instead, Craig Lowe violated due process by creating a new FTE position and hiring an employee of his own personal choice completely from within the political office of the Mayor and without requested input from Gainesville Charter Officer of Equal Employment.

Gainesville’s charter is a council-manager form of government with the intent of eliminating government abuses of patronage, political machines and abuses of the spoils system. The Mayor and commission are authorized to hire Charter Officers but regular employees must follow the guidelines set forth in the EEOC and human resources process.

Remarkably, the City Manager and City attorney remained without comment throughout the entire corrupt process.

A city employee, acting as whistleblower, recently made available a November, 2011 document that confirms new and elevated conditions of employment for the position created by Mayor Lowe in the first place.

The offer to Garner was originated by Sandy Barnard, director of Human Resources:  PDF

Dear Garrett,

I am pleased to provide an offer to you for the full-time position of Mayoral Aide-Temporary; Time-Limited, effective November 28, 2011

Your hourly pay rate will be $22.0026.

Additionally, you are eligible for other benefits as delineated below:

You will receive Paid Time OFF (PTO) offered to regular Managerial, Administrative and Professional employees.

Insurance is available under the City of Gainesville group health plan and voluntary benefit package. Dependent care programs are also offered.

You will be eligible to participate in our 401 (a) Defined Contribution Plan. The City will contribute 10% and you will be required to contribute 5% pre-tax.

You are 100% vested in this plan for both the City and personal contributions upon employment.

This plan is administered by the ICMA Retirement Corporation and there are a variety of investment options available to you.

You may also participate in the City 457 deferred compensation plan.There is no vesting requirements associated with this plan, and upon leaving employment you have a number of options regarding withdrawal.

This plan is also administered by the ICMA Retirement Corporation.

I trust the terms Of this offer will be acceptable to you, if you have questions or would like additional information, please let me know.

Sandy Barnard,
Human Resources Director

It appears that Garret Garner has been promoted from the old position of Research Assistant to another illegally created position as Mayoral Aid with presumed duties exclusively to the office of the Mayor with combined benefits that far exceed $45,000 in annual salary.

The whistleblower also asserts that Garrett Garner is only one of several of Mayor Lowe’s campaign staff who were quietly awarded City jobs.