<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=49uMj0_1GwPVudY00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=49uMj0_1GwPVudY00" width="800" height="533" ></figure>Lewes City Manager Ellen Lorraine McCabe will be subject to a performance improvement plan, an action that sets a clear path forward for mayor and city council to evaluate her future.Council faces a hard deadline of Wednesday, March 10, to decide whether to extend or change provisions of McCabe's contract, which automatically renews in June.The plan is expected to be completed by Monday, Feb. 1, according to Mayor Amy Marasco.Mayor and city council approved the improvement plan by a 3-2 vote Nov. 4, after a three-hour, closed-door executive session.An improvement plan was one of the options presented to council. The other options were not disclosed.Council members Trina Brown-Hicks and Tim Ritzert and Councilman Joe Elder voted in favor of the improvement plan. They all said it was the best path forward for the city."A PIP is used to correct perceived areas where things can be improved. This is a good thing for the city manager," Elder said.Marasco and Deputy Mayor Khalil Saliba voted to reject the plan. Both have been critical of McCabe.Saliba said an improvement plan is not the preferred way to handle an underperforming employee. He has previously called for a negotiated settlement to remove her.Saliba said he is skeptical that an improvement plan will change McCabe's performance."Somehow, five independent investigations and two votes of no confidence, all critical of our city manager, have been swept under the rug," Saliba said. "Nevertheless, I will continue to work in good faith to move Lewes forward."Elder said an improvement plan would not have been necessary if council had not ignored its own process.He said he worked with Marasco and the city's Human Resources Manager Shelby Shockley to redesign the city's employee evaluation process, which he called state-of-the-art."This has been unfair to the city manager," Elder said. "If we had followed our own rules, we wouldn't be in this boat. I don't know how we got into this state of dysfunction, but it's all of our faults."Marasco said the next steps are that Shockley will write the performance improvement plan and present it to council.Marasco said council will also have to determine who will monitor the plan. She said it would be hard for Shockley to do it, because McCabe is her boss."There's no interest in hiring an outside consultant, so we'll have to determine how to monitor without incurring outside expenses," she said.McCabe has been under fire for her handling of several high-level issues in the past 15 months, including:<ul><li>Police promotions that were later rescinded</li><li>Her admission that she ordered a public meeting video removed from the city's website. The removal was the subject of an independent investigation that cost taxpayers $35,000</li><li>A bullying and harassment complaint that she and Assistant City Manager Janet Reeves filed against Saliba. An investigation cleared Saliba of virtually all allegations; it cost about $15,000</li><li>A no-confidence vote by the police union </li><li>A no-confidence letter sent by city hall employees, including some department heads.</li></ul>Reeves is not subject to a performance improvement plan.Before the Nov. 4 executive session, City Clerk Ashley Akgoren addressed mayor and city council about the employee letter. Akgoren said she was speaking for herself and not for city staff.She said there is a provision in the employee handbook that provides staff with an opportunity to meet with council to discuss grievances. But she said council has not followed that process.The Sept. 16 letter described a toxic work environment inside city hall. Employees urged McCabe and Reeves to resign, or have council remove them. The letter was unsigned.Akgoren said the lack of action is taking its toll."The staff is caught in the middle like a child caught in the middle of parents getting divorced," she said. "There is pressure to take sides and navigate competing expectations. Staff has to bear the professional and emotional consequences of conflicts they didn't create."Marasco said having an improvement plan in place will help determine whether council will hold discussions with other employees.</div></body>

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Lewes City Manager Ellen Lorraine McCabe will be subject to a performance improvement plan, an action that sets a clear path forward for mayor and city council to evaluate her future. Council faces a hard deadline of Wednesday, March 10, to decide whether to extend or change provisions of McCabe's...

Lewes puts city manager on improvement plan

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Lewes City Manager Ellen Lorraine McCabe will be subject to a performance improvement plan, an action that sets a clear path forward for mayor and city cou

Lewes puts city manager on improvement plan

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