OUR VIEW: Former city manager burns a bridge (vote in poll)

The drama over former City Manager Penelope Culbreth-Graft’s resignation is sad for Culbreth-Graft. She is needlessly harming her career.

Culbreth-Graft served with class and distinction for two years in Colorado Springs during a challenging time for City Hall. Just before giving written notice of her resignation, Culbreth-Graft was given a positive performance review by the City Council. She left the meeting saying she remained gainfully employed. All but one member of the council supported her with enthusiasm and even that person acknowledged that her review was mostly positive.

Four days after the review, she resigned of her own accord in a dignified and professional manner — under no pressure from her employers whatsoever. At that juncture, Culbreth-Graft had a great future as a public administrator, a consultant, or a corporate CEO. Anyone would have understood her desire to leave a city bureaucracy best known for financial problems. That bright future, unfortunately, has diminished greatly because of a needless stunt that makes her look bad. Today, Culbreth-Graft is the city manager who quit and then tried to get a big check.

Fact: Culbreth-Graft gave written notice of resignation dated March 19. It was all her idea. The unilateral nature of the resignation wasn’t in question then or now.

Fact: The city manager’s willful resignation stated her last day would be April 16.

Fact: On April 13, Mayor Lionel Rivera administered the oath of office to her replacement, Fire Chief Steve Cox, with a resolution that said the position of interim city manager would begin for Cox three days later on April 16 — Culbreth-Graft’s last day of work. It was stated that way verbally and in writing.

Despite any lack of ambiguity regarding when her service would end and the temporary replacement’s would begin, Culbreth-Graft left the meeting and wrote a letter to the city attorney demanding money and claiming that the swearing in of Cox amounted to “constructive notice of termination.”

Ms. Culbreth-Graft, the evidence against your claim is overwhelming. Nothing about your self-initiated resignation and the appointment of a replacement has been ambiguous in the least. It was all witnessed and on paper. You can’t possibly win this attempt to quit and get fired.

(Please vote in poll to the lower right, in red type. Must vote to see results. Thanks!)

Worse than your almost certain and imminent loss of this dispute is that it will follow you. The next time you apply for employment, or attempt to sell your expertise to clients, this unfortunate episode will show up when they google your name. Two years of loyal service to thankful employers, and a public that generally liked you, will be reduced to a bridge-burning that served neither party’s interests well.

Your best hope at this juncture is to cut your losses. Walk away from this with a simple apology to the mayor and the council, explaining that stress and anxiety clouded your better judgment. If you do that, it might mitigate some of the damage. You have nothing to lose, because your chances of winning this battle are approximately nil. In the unlikely event you collect the money, you lose much more in the long run. Let it go.

— Wayne Laugesen, editorial page editor, for the editorial board

Friend editorial author Wayne Laugesen on Facebook