A sharply-divided City Council on Tuesday voted 5-4 to completely reorganize the council office, leaving current staffers without a job down the road but with the option to reapply.
Councilman Moses Freeman called the move "evil" and "hellish."
He said, "We are punishing somebody on a personal level," though he said the office has been running smoothly.
Saying the majority was "acting like a bunch of yahoos," Councilman Yusuf Hakeem said, "You need to have the courage to confront anyone you have a problem with rather than hiding under a reorganization."
He asked City Attorney Wade Hinton, "Would it be considered improper on my part to recommend to those affected by this reorganization to sue this body?" Attorney Hinton said it would be improper.
Councilwoman Carol Berz said, "We were attempting to make the office more efficient, and all of a sudden it is being turned into us terminating the world. I don't see this equating to a wholesale termination."
Voting in favor of the overhaul were Council members Berz, Larry Grohn, Jerry Mitchell, Ken Smith and Chairman Chip Henderson, who recommended the change.
The city attorney's office is to work with human resources to set a timetable for the new job titles to take effect and for applicants to submit resumes.
Sandra Freeman is the current clerk to the council and Nicole Gwyn is deputy clerk. Randy Burns is management analyst. Cindy Patrick is council support assistant. Ms. Patrick is taking a different city job at the end of this week.
The new titles will include clerk to the council with redefined duties, legislative and management analyst, executive secretary and council support specialist.
Council members initially spoke of hiring an attorney to be legislative and management analyst. Attorney Hinton on Tuesday said the holder of the post can have a law license, but cannot practice law. He said members of the city attorney's office would be giving the legal opinions. He said the job would not require a law degree. He said the analyst can help write ordinances.
Chairman Henderson said the change started when the prior chairman, Councilman Hakeem, was seeking raises for staff members. Chairman Henderson said the new setup offers higher pay for enhanced duties.
Councilman Hakeem was among council members objecting to the office employees going under the city pay plan, saying that would cause the council to lose some of its authority and control. "Are we giving up what influence we have over our employees?" he asked.
Councilman Freeman said, "Why would we vacate peoples' lives? This is foolishness. It borders on being cruel, harsh and mean-spirited. I believe there are underlying reasons why this is before us. Those are devilish."