Bankruptcy judge dismissed City of Norfolk’s efforts to reclaim salary of suspended employee

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Frank J. Santoro recently dismissed a former Norfolk City employee’s debt to the city after being placed on suspension in 1998 by the Norfolk Community Service Board (CSB). The Norfolk employee, Jill McGlone, continued to collect her annual salary and benefits until she was fired in 2010.

In total, McGlone collected over $300,000 in pay and benefits until she was finally laid off[1].

McGlone filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy earlier last week, a move that, if granted, would prohibit the city from recovering any of the money the Norfolk Community Service Board paid to her.

Her suspension resulted from an accusation that she had brought a box-cutter to work, considered a weapon according to CSB officials.[2]

Upon learning about the payments still being made to her, the new executive director for CSB fired her and “forced out”[3] five employees who either worked at CSB at the time or formerly supervised McGlone.

It is unclear why Judge Santoro dismissed the city’s attempt to retrieve the money it had been paying McGlone. Most likely because McGlone was technically still an employee for CSB on paid suspension, but this is just speculation on my part.

McGlone, however, deserves fault for collecting a working salary and benefits for over a decade while on suspension. After a few years of suspension with pay, let alone twelve years, a person with integrity would have voluntary quit and found another job instead of taking taxpayer money for a job that was not being performed. Instead, McGlone kept her salary and benefits paid for by the taxpayers of Norfolk.

Not only does McGlone’s inaction draw from the financial resources of the CSB, it undermines the legitimacy of the CSB, an agency that provides mental health care and drug treatment to the poor in the community. After all, if this incident occurred, what else went on inside the CSB that detracted it from its mission?

Public service is an invaluable component in our society and the vast majority of public servants are outstanding individuals who truly care about making a positive difference.

There is no doubt more to McGlone’s story than the mainstream media has foretold. But as it stands, McGlone has given a black-eye to public servants in Norfolk, if not Virginia as a whole.  

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[1] http://www.timesdispatch.com/news/state-regional/judge-discharges-former-employee-s-debt-to-norfolk/article_ae31046a-3c28-11e2-8365-001a4bcf6878.html

[2] http://hamptonroads.com/2012/08/worker-norfolk-noshow-case-files-bankruptcy

[3] http://hamptonroads.com/2012/08/worker-norfolk-noshow-case-files-bankruptcy