Santos to ex-staff: You can leave if you don't like me

Santos to ex-staff: You can leave if you don't like me

Because there are still three employees who once worked for her who testified against her during her federal corruption trial, former City Treasurer Miriam Santos this week said if they don't like her style of management, they can leave.

"If they had such problems with my management style, why would they stay?" she asked. "Get out. If you don't like it get out. I am the boss." Santos said she is coming back in a month after she clears the remaining legal hurdles.

There are also seven employees appointed by mayoral appointee City Treasurer Barbara Lumpkin.

Santos, who was recently released from federal prison after serving four months of a 40-month sentence for campaign finance abuse after an appeals court overturned her conviction, made her remarks during WVON's Cliff Kelley show.

"It was the mayor's Board of Ethics who never reported anybody else, runs over to the U.S. Attorney's office and to the corporation counsel's office" with charges of alleged campaign abuse. She accused the Corporation Counsel office of allegedly telling one of her male employees he had to "go before a grand jury and give testimony or he can meet with the FBI and then escorts him to an FBI office."

"They have this. I tried very hard to get along, and the majority media at times have been very unfair to me, increasingly unfair. I was a real tough boss. I admit it. I was vigilant, but that's why we weren't losing money because I was there. I made sure people were at their desk working."

Santos said she's talking about the Shakman position jobs that paid between $67,000 to $100,000. "I know a lot of people out there who'd love to have a job like that and who would gladly give the government and the taxpayers 40 hours a week. I know people who'd kill for an $80,000 job and the opportunity to do good."

During the investigation, Santos said: "The minute the FBI had come into my office there was Walter Knorr (chief financial officer) (saying) `we're taking over the office.' It reminded me of Rodney King, can't we all get along.

"What you want is to get the taxpayers to get the best service, to be treated with the respect they deserve and that's public officials who can get along for their best interests, and I wanted to believe that," she said.

Santos said her office is an independent one and vowed to "stay in the fight because I think it is an important one. It's one I really believe I have to fight."

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