The Virginian-Pilot
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NORFOLK
The city will provide Afr'Am Fest with an $11,000 grant to help the group pay 51 Norfolk police officers and sheriff's deputies for security work.
The proposal from City Manager Regina V.K. Williams was approved by a divided City Council during a closed session Tuesday. "The council is trying to make the best of a bad situation," Mayor Paul Fraim said.
It was learned on Monday that Afr'Am officials failed to pay 51 public safety officers more than $43,000 they were owed for providing security at the downtown festival, held May 21-23.
Williams said she proposed the $11,000 amount to bridge a disparity between the rate officers were paid at Afr'Am and the rate officers were paid at the city's signature downtown festival, Harborfest.
Williams said Donna Smith, head of Afr'Am sponsor Southeastern Virginia Arts Association, met with her the day after the festival, contending that the security arrangements, approved by the Norfolk police, were too expensive.
Williams investigated and found a disparity in charges. Officers were paid $32 per hour, as opposed to $25 per hour for working at Harborfest. The supervisor of security was paid $3,000 at Afr'Am, while the supervisor at Harborfest was paid $30 per hour.
Attorneys Martin Thomas Jr. and Pete Decker III have been retained to represent most of the officers. Thomas said the council action "doesn't change anything. We're still planning on filing suit."
Afr'Am, a celebration of African American music and culture, has been beset with declining attendance since it was forced to move from its traditional Memorial Day weekend date two years ago.
The city provided Afr'Am with free use of Town Point Park and a $40,000 grant.
Vice Mayor Anthony L. Burfoot said the decision to provide the $11,000 grant "is not an attempt to bail out Afr'Am. We're doing our best to make sure that our officers are paid."
Councilman Barclay C. Winn and W. Randy Wright both opposed the grant but declined to comment.
Councilman Paul R. Riddick favored the grant, but only if the festival pays public safety officers and only if Afr'Am officials agree to work more closely with the city.
Riddick said he hopes the grant will help thaw relations with Afr'Am officials, who have sparred with the city over dates and an aborted proposal to move the festival to Norfolk State University in 2009.
"I hope they understand now that we're not their adversary," Riddick said.
Harry Minium, (757) 446-2371, harry.minium@pilotonline.com
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Disparity in charges
Perhaps the reason was that the deal that Harborfest/FestEvents was set a few years ago to be in effect for X number of years and the one for the Southeastern Virginia Arts Association/Af'ram Fest was just made this year. Though that might not explain the difference for the supervisor(s), maybe someone at SSAA made a deal to help out a buddy and the director didn't know it. Those are not accusations just speculations, no different than those that said there were ulterior motives behind the disparities,
hey pilot
i suppose my comment requesting a "grant" from the Mayor made someone at the paper sad....yet before you removed it, there were 14 thumbs up and 0 thumbs down on it. GO FREE SPEECH!!!!!!!!
Send your real estate bills to Afram Fest
So now when my real estate taxes come in, I can send the bill to Afram fest. They can pay it because they have my tax money.
Every one in Norfolk should forward their real estate tax bills to AframFest.
take the job at the agreed-upon rate
VB schools are saving a bunch of money this year by payiong school security personnel OT to cover graduations; most will make about $15-18 per hour for their efforts. Previously, VB police personnel were paid $25/hour to cover graduation ceremonies.
If the people who took the job don't want they pay they agreed to take, then next year festival organizers should look elsewhere for qualified security personnel to work.
Looks like this could be a FLSA violation
This is beyond belief. The city already gives a PRIVATE concern free use of the park and $40k and then after Afram negotiates how much they will pay their help, kicks in more money to help them pay for the city police and sheriffs. I wonder if the city kicking in to pay them doesn't qualify these CITY employees for OVERTIME pay which would be much more per hour than $25. Maybe Mr. Improvento needs to file a FLSA suit on the city, since it would appear the city is trying to get around paying these officers overtime by having them "contract" out to Afram, then pay Afram to pay them. They are working a city sponsored event, at a city venue, after regular working hours, seems they should be getting time and a half.
Call it what it is.
A shake-down, plain and simple.
Pay us or we'll "make trouble" for you.
Tony Soprano would be proud.
It happens every day in every city in the U. S.
They won't need the police
They won't need the police for the next event; I hear there are a lot of former Blackwater employees looking for work.
No interest
so why should my tax dollars be involved in any way? Collect the money from those who attends. If afram offcials cannot provide the necessary security then cancel the event. Same goes for any other event.
First a bad debt as a result
First a bad debt as a result of ignoring their obligations and now a hand out from the government? I am quite sure local African-Americans would not want to be associated with such behavior.
Let' see...
Unfortunately, the name alone makes it about race. Most reasonable people no matter their race, don't like to see money wasted. The exception is those who have no value on the dollar because they're given too much.
If a targeted audience doesn't see the benefit to attend, why bail out a failing PRIVATE venture?
Maybe the security didn't make it an appealing night out for some. Cause and effect.
They should be paid for the services provided, just not by me.
Here come the thumbs...