news-record.com

GREENSBORO — City Council members say they will likely discuss City Manager Mitch Johnson's 10-page plan to address long-running issues with his administration in a closed session tonight.

Johnson submitted the plan to the council Friday in response to demands that he improve his communication with council members and his public handling of high-profile problems.

"It's a good beginning. When we talk about it with him, we can specify some things we feel are important to get right on and to bring to resolution quickly," Mayor Yvonne Johnson said Monday.

Johnson, the manager who is no relation to the mayor, has faced criticism and accusations of mismanagement from both council members and the public since his promotion to the city's top staff job in 2005.

Most prominently, he came under fire for the way he handled the departure of former police Chief David Wray, who resigned in 2006 after allegations that the department's special intelligence unit unfairly targeted black police officers.

Residents petitioned to have Johnson fired. During last year's municipal elections, council candidates freely criticized him and his future with the city became a campaign issue.

In February, the council — which is nearly evenly populated by his critics and his supporters — gave Johnson a second chance to please them.

His action plan addresses their chief concerns: cleaning up some troubled city departments, reorganizing the city manager's office, and improving communication between Johnson and the council.

After studying the plan over the weekend, council members said they needed to spend some time with Johnson going over the details.

Johnson said Friday that he hopes to be able to better achieve the goals and objectives set by the council.

But if better communication with them is the first step in that direction, he may have gotten off on the wrong foot with at least one council member.

Councilwoman Sandra Anderson Groat, who pushed council members to compromise and give Johnson his second chance, said she was not pleased that the

manager released his action plan to a reporter before the council had a chance to discuss it with him.

"This was a very serious assignment he was given. For him to not address that with us is not OK," Groat said.

Johnson released the memo to the News & Record when he transmitted it to council members and it became a public record under North Carolina law.

Tonight's council meeting is also likely to include an update — in closed session — on the ongoing negotiations to settle Equal Employment Opportunity complaints brought by dozens of police officers.

There may be other pending legal issues addressed, the mayor said.

Contact Amanda Lehmert at 373-7075 or amanda.lehmert @news-record.com