The PNJ is reporting that City Chief Operations Officer Tamara Fountain does not have a Masters of Business Administration from UWF and Bachelor’s from Florida State University that Mayor Ashton Hayward said she had.
City Administrator Eric Olson said Fountain’s education is not relevant because she does such a great job for the city and citizens are happy with how city hall is run. PIO Vernon Stewart told the PNJ that mayor should not be expected to know the resumes of his employees. Mayor Hayward did not comment.
What did Hayward say in the WEAR TV interview when he was asked what qualified Fountain to be his Chief Operation Officer?
“She’s very qualified having an undergrad at Florida State and an MBA at the University of West Florida, so she understands government,” said Hayward.
It’s difficult to believe the mayor just made that information up. He should know the qualifications of both his two top staffers and to easily give answers as to why he has given them so much responsibility and power.
The lingering questions: Who is Tamara Fountain? Since she doesn’t have either of those degrees from those universities, what does the mayor now think qualifies her to run the city of Pensacola?
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Note: The PNJ mentioned the mayor’s comment that Fountain had an MBA in an editorial. Why didn’t Fountain ask them to correct it? …It’s always the cover-up that becomes the story.
