Politics & Government
Medina City Manager Donna Hanson to Leave Post
Donna Hanson, city manager at Medina since 2008, along with the city of Medina, lost a federal lawsuit filed against them by former Medina Police Chief Jeffrey Chen earlier this year.
Medina City Manager Donna Hanson will leave her position by mid-July, after the Medina City Council approved a separation agreement on Tuesday, June 25.
Update: 6:45 p.m.
Medina Mayor Michael Luis told Bellevue Patch Thursday afternoon that he will represent the city in negotiations with Hanson over the terms of the separation agreement. He declined to discuss whether Hanson's contract has a termination clause, or why the city council chose to end Hanson's employment with the city.
Hanson became city manager of Medina in 2008.
Story originally posted at 11:40 a.m. Thursday June 27.
The decision to "separate" from Hanson was made 5-1-0, with councilman David Lee voting no, according to Medina resident Heija Nunn, who was present at Tuesday night's meeting. Councilwoman Janie Lee was not present, she said.
The agreement was described as a mutually agreed upon separation.
The council said that Hanson will remain through mid-July. The council will meet next week to discuss next steps, Nunn said.
Bellevue Patch has left messages with Hanson and Mayor Michael Luis. This story will be updated when we hear back from them.
Hanson has been city manager at Medina since 2008. She came into public conflict with former Medina Police Chief Jeffrey Chen in 2010, culminating in his firing in 2011.
Chen in March won a federal law suit claiming that Hanson and other city officials were biased against him because of his race.
A jury awarded Chen $2 million, including $285,000 in back pay, $1.65 million in loss of income from his inability to find employment in law enforcement, and $100,000 in emotional damages. The jury also said that Hanson must pay $25,000 in punitive damages.
Earlier Medina coverage:
Ex-Medina Police Chief Jeffrey Chen Wins $2M Bias Lawsuit
Medina Police Chief Jeffrey Chen Fired
Ousted Medina Police Chief Charges Racism in Lawsuit
Medina Residents Pressure Council Over Police Chief Firing
Medina City Council Takes Heat Over Police Chief's Firing
Editor's note: this story has been update with a correction. The meeting was on Tuesday night.
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