The head of one of Atlanta’s employee unions is calling for the city’s embattled Watershed commissioner, Jo Ann Macrina, to step down. It comes days after police arrested six Watershed employees in an ongoing investigation into widespread theft within the department.
“She shouldn’t be in that position anymore,” said Gina Pagnotta-Murphy, president of the Professional Association of City Employees (PACE Atlanta). “Her employees unanimously want her to step down and move on. They have no respect for her. They have no idea why the administration is still allowing her to be the leader.”
Over the last several years, hundreds of thousands of dollars of Watershed equipment has been lost or stolen. Pagnotta-Murphy says rank-and-file employees have raised concerns about theft for years, but in many cases, she says, those complaints have fallen on deaf ears. She claims managers are involved in the stealing and believes there’s organized crime within the department.
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