Dover Council reiterates support for employees fired by mayor
DOVER (WJER) (May 3, 2022) – City Council members Monday once again threw their support behind three employees they brought back to work after the mayor fired them in December.
Mayor Richard Homrighausen has filed two appeals and two civil cases against the city since February in attempts to block those employees from working for Dover.
Council members Monday unanimously approved legislation stating those employees are unequivocally needed by the city of Dover. They say it’s a pre-emptive move to strengthen their position in the court cases.
Councilman John Correll says Service Director Dave Douglas, Safety and Human Resources Director Gerry Mroczkowski, and Mayor Executive Assistant Eva Newsome are valuable employees.
“These guys ran the damn city,” he said. “We felt they needed to come back. No matter what it took, we needed to get them back. No matter how many times [Homrighausen] vetoed it, we were going to override him.”
Council Monday also unanimously agreed to override Homrighausen’s veto of legislation pledging additional funds to defend the employees and the city against the mayor’s lawsuits.
Homrighausen was not at Monday’s meeting. He is anticipating a paid suspension from the state as he faces a 15-count grand jury indictment for theft in office, among other counts.
A jury trial is scheduled for Sept. 20. Homrighausen has pleaded not guilty.