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 that the newspaper published in its Opinion section.
The mayor said he was introduced to Fountain by “a member of the judiciary.” He said he misspoke about her degrees (in July 24 interview on WEAR TV), but Fountain proved to be a capable project manager when she served as City Communications Administrator (July 2013-August 2014). When Castille resigned last summer, he made Fountain COO.
He told the paper, “Mrs. Fountain’s degree, experience, and performance met all of the qualifications for both of the positions she held while with the city.”
Of Fountain’s 35 percent raise in pay in less than two years (from $85,000-$115,000), the mayor said the raises were commensurate with her responsibilities and similar to past city officials.
He declined to comment on Fountain’s claim that she had been personally attacked and bullied by the media. He wanted to focus on the positives. When asked about the PNJ’s poll that showed 75 percent weren’t happy with city hall, Hayward said the poll “wasn’t a scientific survey.” He said last year’s PYP Quality of Life and UWF Haas Center surveys showed the majority of city’s citizens are pleased.
As far as the impact of Fountain’s resignation on his latest restructuring, the mayor said he has made changes that have made “our city government leaner, more efficient, and more responsive to citizens” He said he was open to suggestions for improvements.
