Category: Pensacola
Hayward announces tentative agreement with general employees union
Pensacola Mayor Ashton Hayward announced today that he has reached a tentative agreement on a new three-year contract with the City’s AFSCME collective bargaining unit,…
New version on Olson incident still off, continues to miss the point
Mayor Ashton Hayward relaxed his policy and allowed his city administrator to speak with the Pensacola News Journal. On Monday, the mayor had said he…
Hayward: ‘Mr. Levin speaks for himself’
We asked the city for a statement from Mayor Ashton Hayward about Fred Levin’s comments today. “I’m not responsible for what other people write,” said…
Levin compares Mayor and Administrator to rape victims. Update: He withdraws analogy. Compares Nichols to criminal
We received this new statement from Mr. Levin at 4:32 p.m. He has dropped the rape analogy. He wrote, “Upon further reflection of my initial…
What have we learned about Eric Olson incident? More questions than answers
None of the “350 emails” from Melanie Nichols’ federal account were addressed to City Administrator Eric Olson. Why did this even get on Eric Olson’s…
CRA to seek more public input on Hawkshaw parcel
For the second time in two months, Councilman Charles Bare made the motion to turn down all the proposals for the Hawkshaw property on south…
What did Melanie Nichols say in her emails to city staff? No smoking gun, routine stuff
Eric Olson had been City Administrator for three months before he was compelled to contact the bosses of Melanie Nichols, president of the North Hill…
Ethics and the City Council
The Pensacola City Council will hear from Planning Board member Scott Sallis on Thursday. Unfortunately, the council will not hear from the planning department about…
Senate, House on redistricting collision course
By BRANDON LARRABEE THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA With just four days left until the end of a special session called to redraw the state’s…
Citizens will be heard on City Administrator Eric Olson
Mayor Ashton Hayward wanted to move forward. He wanted the discussion on his city administrator’s phone call to the bosses of North Hill Preservation Association…
Bare provides background material on ‘No Confidence’ vote regarding Olson
Pensacola City Councilman Charles Bare provided to the media his add-on item for the Aug. 20 Council meeting. We’re hearing that council members are lobbied…
For betterment of the city: Mayor, investigate tower lease
In a face-to-face interview with Shannon Nickinson of the Studer Community Institute, Mayor Ashton Hayward said he wants to put past mistakes behind him and…
Mayor provides answers about his former COO
The News Journal asked eight questions of Mayor Ashton Hayward about his former Chief of Operations, Tamara Fountain,(Editorial: Mayor Hayward responds). He provided written answers…
Emails, Phone Calls and Sunshine
Last Monday, Mayor Ashton Hayward announced through a press release that his Chief Operations Officer had resigned. He said Eric Olson, his City Administrator, would…
Nichols had clearance from her boss and legal department
In a comment posted earlier this morning, Melanie Nichols, president of the North Hill Preservation Association, wrote that she had clearance from both her supervisor…
Levin sends letter supporting Hayward, calling coverage of city hall ‘destructive’, deserving of ‘negative stupidity’ award
Attorney Fred Levin sent late yesterday a letter to the News Journal and Inweekly in support of Mayor Ashton Hayward and requesting that we print…
And the walls come tumbling down
The PNJ is reporting that Pensacola City Councilman Charles Bare will call for a vote of no confidence in city administrator Eric Olson to be…
Sallis signs voting conflict form
Planning Board member Scott Sallis has signed a Form 8B – Memorandum of Voting Conflict. It is for the vote that occurred on July 14….
What is Hayward’s role in ‘outrageous and chilling’ behavior of his City Administrator
Barbara Petersen, president of the First Amendment Foundation, told Inweekly that City Administrator Eric Olson crossed the line when he called the boss of Melanie…
Olson and the email trail that indicates Nichols was targeted
City Administrator Eric Olson did not send a mandate to his department heads about how to reply to emails sent from government accounts until July…
