Sittenfeld, Young texts: Cincinnati city manager needs counseling; mayor is a liar

In a secret text string among five members of Cincinnati City Council, Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld suggested they tell the city manager he "needed counseling."

But then they decided to support City Manager Harry Black against Mayor John Cranley and never publicly said anything about their concerns.

Sittenfeld and others have suggested Black and Cranley work with a mediator to resolve their differences. However, the texts speak only about Black's performance, with Sittenfeld saying "his job depends on correcting certain things."

The texts were released Wednesday in response to a public records request. The council members on the text string were Sittenfeld, Wendell Young, Chris Seelbach, Tamaya Dennard and Greg Landsman – all Democrats. Communications among a majority of City Council members are a violation of Ohio's sunshine laws and the city charter, according to Enquirer attorney Jack Greiner.

 "The texts demonstrate that a quorum of council conducted a prearranged meeting to discuss council business," Greiner said. "That violates the letter of the Ohio Open Meetings Act. It is not a close call. But it also violates the spirit of the law. Council should discuss the public’s business in public."

In the texts, the council members discussed how they would vote on a severance for Black, and they also talked about the mayor. Sittenfeld, Young and Dennard all discussed Cranley’s attempts to “divide and conquer” groups like the Sentinels, which is mostly made up of black Cincinnati police officers, and other African-American groups.

“Typical Cranley tactic,” Young said. “Don’t forget that he will lie in a heart beat.”

Seelbach suggested their coalition could resist Cranley.

“I think we’re very strong. Which I’ve been waiting for. For years,” Seelbach wrote.

“Amen!” Young replied. “We’re the new ‘gang of five.’ I pray we stay strong and continue to trust each other. We have the power to move this forward.”

Black said Wednesday that he did not read the texts and declined to comment.

Cranley responded in a statement: "The citizens and city workforce deserve better than being managed by somebody that, according to City Council, has 'struggles' that require 'counseling.' Given the stakes of properly working city services, Council cannot hold the manager to a standard lower than a typical city employee."

Sittenfeld said the city has more important things to focus on in the aftermath of the death of 16-year-old Kyle Plush, who became trapped in his Honda Odessy in the parking lot of Seven Hills School in Madisonville April 10.

"These are no sentiments in these texts that I haven't expressed publicly," Sittenfeld told The Enquirer.

Here is part of the text string:

Sittenfeld: Team, I knew there was one thing I meant to bring up that I forgot to on the call, 4 of us at a time need to have a conversation with Harry about all the things he needs to do to improve. I've overtly told him I believe he needs to seek some sort of counseling. But he needs to hear it collectively from us and to frankly understand that his job depends on correcting certain things.

Young: Not now please, I think he would view this as a softening of support. May I suggest we reserve that conversation for after we get through this process?

Sittenfeld: Wendell, I'm okay waiting if the others agree.HOWEVER, it's a conversation that must be had -- sooner rather than later. Harry struggles with some things and needs to know we support him, but also bring certain expectations. I'll defer to the group on timing."

Read the all of the texts released by the city Wednesday in response to a public records request:

The texts were written sometime between March 16 and March 18. The conversation came after Cranley asked the city manager to resign, citing concerns about a pattern of unprofessional behavior.

• The background: Harry Black's tumultuous tenure
• The latest: Court says City Council plan to investigate city manager can't go forward

The five members issued a release March 16 stating their support of Black.

That release, from a council majority, caught the attention of Mark Miller, treasurer of the anti-tax group COAST (Citizens Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxes), and he sued the members for holding "rogue" meetings. In response to the lawsuit, city lawyers released the text messages Wednesday morning to comply with the law.

"This shows they were intentionally trying to hide from the public what they were doing," said Miller's lawyer, Brian Shrive. "This is an elaborate scheme to avoid public scrutiny. And it shows their political fight with the mayor took precedence over very real concerns about the manager's stability and the safety and security of the citizens of Cincinnati."

Shrive continues to seek texts between individual members about the city manager.

Since the texts were written, council members Christopher Smitherman, Amy Murray, Jeff Pastor and David Mann publicly voted to let the manager resign with a $423,000 severance, more than the eight months his contract allows for if Cranley would fire Black. The majority has not agreed, but cast votes to allow Black to resign with eight months severance. He hasn't done that and the issue is unsolved.

Seelbach and Young declined to comment on why they were talking among themselves. Dennard told The Enquirer it was "never her intention to hide anything from the public." Landsman said, "Texting like that was clearly a mistake and I feel very badly. It won't happen again."

The texts show distrust of Cranley, even though he is a fellow Democrat. Democratic Councilman David Mann, who often sides with Cranley, isn't part of the text string.

Cranley's conflict with the five on the text string has manifested since the beginning of the year in a series of fights. First he wanted to remove Dianne Rosenberg from the Park Board, which these council members objected to, forcing court intervention.

Cranley and council argued again over how to help minority firms do work with the city, a discussion that is ongoing. And the fight over whether Black should resign has played out for weeks.

Young's "gang of five" comment referenced the last council term, when Yvette Simpson, Mann, Young, Sittenfeld and Seelbach were often called the "gang of five."

Sittenfeld texted in response: "I'm game to make it a gang of 7 even! I know mann and Pastor must be lonely over there!"

At the end of the text conversation, Sittenfeld was trying to craft a statement they all could agree on.

And then this from Landsman: "I don't think we need a statement. And I don't like commenting on what Harry might or might not think or want. Also think some of it is unnecessary (sic) inflammatory. We are trying to bring some maturity to this ridiculous situation. To de-escalate."

On the second draft, Landsman would then object to this language: "We believe in the City Charter, we believe in honesty, and we believe in collaboration. All are welcome to join us in upholding these pillars."

"The current language feels like petty, 'tit for tat' stuff," Landsman wrote.

Wednesday's release of the texts comes on the heels of the First District Court of Appeals siding with The Enquirer on a planned investigation into Black. Council had voted to hold secret hearings led by Mann and Dennard to review the city manager's behavior.

The Enquirer sued, saying the charter calls for such proceedings to be public. The court agreed, and Mann said he would not challenge the decision, putting an end to the process. No decision has been made whether a review of Black should be conducted in another way.