Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Mayor Pro-Tem Patricia Capello announces her resignation at Monday's Royal Oak City Commission meeting.
Monday’s meeting of the Royal Oak City Commission ended with a surprise resignation. Mayor Pro-Tem Patricia Capello announced she was relocating to Texas and that Monday's city commission meeting was her last. Reading from prepared notes, she said she had been looking to downsize her empty nest for the last year. "We were looking for a smaller home in Royal Oak so that we can spend our summers here and winters in a warmer climate, probably Texas. Well I didn't find a home in Royal Oak, but we did find our dream home in Texas. We purchased it and will be relocating very soon. With my husband's health issues, and my son's health issues, and 40 years of accumulation to clean out and put our home on the market, I need to focus all of my …
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City of Royal Oak City Hall
221 E 3rd St, Royal Oak, MI
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Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Royal Oak City Commissioners want an outside investigator to determine whether Patricia Capello has violated the City Charter or any ethics ordinances.
An independent investigation soon will be underway to determine whether Mayor Pro-Tem Patricia Capello violated the city's ethics policy. Late Monday night, the commission voted 5-2 —David Poulton and Peggy Goodwin dissenting — to look into accusations of multiple ethics violations.The complaints come from former employees at the Royal Oak Animal Shelter, dating as far back as 2005 when an unnamed employee accused Capello of harassment and discrimination. In February, former employee Julie Tirony, raised concerns about Capello in a six-page letter to City Manager Don Johnson. In it, Tirony alleged Capello, who sits on the Animal Shelter Committee, used her commissioner title to bully Tirony and former shelter manager, Lisa Yaeck. Both …
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Commissioners OK a report that looks into charges leveled against Mayor Pro-Tem Patricia Capello.
A member of the Royal Oak City Commission accused of violating the city's code of ethics asked City Manager Don Johnson to prepare a report that looks into the charges at Monday's city commission meeting. Mayor Pro-Tem Patricia Capello is accused of six ethics violations by Julie Tirony, a former employee at the Royal Oak Animal Shelter from May 2011 to February 2012. (Tirony's letter is attached to this article as a PDF.) "We have a new process in place that says that the procedure for us calls for us to experience reasonable suspicion," Capello said. "So in order for you to have more than just the accusations that were leveled in a letter, I think it's important for us to get a report." Capello asked that the city manager summarize the …
42.488146
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City of Royal Oak City Hall
221 E 3rd St, Royal Oak, MI
/articles/commissioners-approve-report-looking-into-ethics-violations
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Monday, March 18, 2013
In a six-page letter, a former employee of the Royal Oak Animal Shelter employee accuses Patricia Capello of using her relationship to promote her own interests.
A member of the Royal Oak City Commission has been accused of violating the city's code of ethics as officials prepare to discuss making changes to the same code at City Hall tonight. Mayor Pro-Tem Patricia Capello is accused of multiple ethics violations by Julie Tirony, a former employee at the Royal Oak Animal Shelter from May 2011 to February 2012. Tirony raised her concerns in a six-page letter to City Manager Don Johnson dated Feb. 22. In it, she alleged Capello used her commissioner title to bully her and former shelter manager, Lisa Yaeck. Both women resigned last year—Tirony left in February, Yaeck in March. In the letter, Tirony claims to have documented problems with Capello "creating strife" beginning in mid-July 2011. She …
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Commissioners want more information on recent ethics investigation released to the public.
Mayor Pro Tem Patricia Capello is questioning the seriousness of a recent investigation on whether or not the actions of a Royal Oak city commissioner constituted an ethics violation. Capello told commissioners Monday night that when she requested a special meeting in August, along with Commissioner Peggy Goodwin, she expected an independent investigation concerning the actions of City Commissioner Jim Rasor and an Arts, Beats & Eats (ABE) parking station operation. "No investigating took place. There was only interviewing and not even face-to-face interviews," Capello told fellow commissioners. "There was no sworn testimony required." Attorney William Hampton, a former state legislator and Oakland County Circuit Court Judge, orchestrated …
42.488146
-83.142775
City of Royal Oak City Hall
221 E 3rd St, Royal Oak, MI
/articles/ethics-debate-continues-in-royal-oak
709775
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C
9:54 pm on Sunday, May 12, 2013
I wonder how many of the people here giving their comments have ever even been to the shelter? When I volunteered there, it sure wasn't Ms Capello giving me grief. She was a hard worker and a considerate person. more ›