Latest news with #MesquiteCityCouncil
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Mesquite Council fires city manager for racist remarks
Former Mesquite Police Chief MaQuade Chesley gestures toward City Manager Edward 'Owen' Dickie moments before the City Council voted to fire Dickie for making racist comments. (Mesquite City Council stream screengrab) The expectation before Tuesday night's City Council meeting was that City Manager Edward 'Owen' Dickie would likely get a slap on the wrist in the form of a written reprimand for making racially insensitive remarks on three separate occasions. Instead, four of five Mesquite City Council members voted to terminate Dickie after a parade of residents argued during public comment for his ouster. 'We went from the safest city to the racist city,' said Mike Benham, one of the Mesquite residents who recorded Dickie's comments, which were first reported by the Current. '…Early on, I said 'guys, I'm going down to Louisiana, I'm going back to the back parishes and I'm going to find me a 6 foot 5 Black woman chief…'' Dickie is heard saying in one recording from February. In another recording, he asserts he'll bring back an 'Aunt Jemima' should the need arise to replace then-Chief of Police MaQuade Chesley. In a third recording made by Chesley, Dickie can be heard using the 'N' word. 'I stand against racism. I always have. I always will,' Chesley, the former police chief, told the council during public comment. 'And when it happened in the (police) department, I brought it forth and I was pushed out.' 'I said things that I shouldn't say at that time, trying to bring a little humor – poor taste of humor,' Dickie said in his defense, arguing that the offending comments were made in private. 'Mr. Dickie, you don't get it. You wouldn't say it in public, but you'd say it in private. So it's okay?' Mesquite resident Mitch Miller asked rhetorically during public comment. 'Our city depends on tourism. Our casinos, golf courses, businesses right now – we're a national embarrassment for even considering a written reprimand versus termination.' Miller went on to say city council members who vote in favor of retaining Dickie are 'part of the bigger problem. You're a closet racist in power.' 'This was not just a poor attempt at humor, this was a harmful, arrogant and dismissive remark that reduces black women to caricatures, stereotypes and political pawns,' said Dr. Theresa Woolridge-Ofori. 'I live here to be an example to people who don't know that there are Black people that are professionals that look like me, that look like my husband.' Her husband, Dr. Edward Ofori, is medical director of the Mesquite Women's Clinic. 'My greater concern is with the complicit behavior of those who stand by silently accepting, even enabling this kind of rhetoric,' Woolridge-Ofori added. 'Silence in the face of racism is not neutrality, it's complicity. So if and when our city officials try to use race to win a war, then shame on you.' Resident Eric Collings told the council his wife, a Black woman, deserved a personal apology from Dickie, and chastised the city manager for attempting to minimize his comments because they weren't made publicly. 'That's the point,' Collings said. 'I can tell a lot more about your character by what you do in private than what you do in public. This isn't some old guy yelling to get off the lawn. This is the city manager of the City of Mesquite.' 'What he said was awful,' Mayor Jesse Whipple said before the vote. 'He needs to be punished and reprimanded and possibly terminated.' Whipple questioned whether Dickie should be judged by one mistake. 'I'm offended. I'm not racist,' Councilman Paul Wanlass said, adding he agreed with Whipple. 'Do I judge a person by one mistake?' Councilman Kevin Parrish called the episode a 'PR nightmare' for the small city with a tourism-based economy. 'The buck stops here,' Parrish said shortly before the council's vote. 'Being a boss, I can't accept what he said. He will not be able to get a job in another city. Why should he be city manager here?' Councilwoman Patti Gallo noted a string of 'bad decisions' by Dickie, including firing Chesley at the behest of the local police union. 'It's time for this city to start healing,' she said before making the motion to terminate Dickie. Councilwoman Karen Fielding, who defended Dickie and blamed the public outcry to fire him on the individuals who recorded his comments, abstained from the vote. Chesley, in an email, called the meeting 'an emotional evening, filled with stories of pain, discrimination and lifelong struggle,' adding he spoke 'with many individuals who have long been marginalized and pushed aside in Mesquite, made to feel less than, unheard, and unwelcome. But for the first time in a long time, our city stood together to denounce racism and demand accountability firmly.'
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Mesquite official fired for racial remarks
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — The Mesquite City Council has decided to terminate their city manager following racial remarks which were self-confessed to be inappropriate. During a regular city council meeting, Mesquite residents voiced their support for a reprimand for City Manager Edward 'Owen' Dickie. 'We went from the safest city to the racist city,' one resident said to city council. Dickie then made a speech in his defense. 'I am sorry, those words were not right,' Dickie said. 'And I do regret it.' The crowd shouted for Dickie to resign to which Dickie responded, 'I am good with that, I would like to talk to the mayor about that.' Another part of the crowd shouted for him to be fired. Councilwoman Patti Gallo made a motion for the immediate termination of Dickie and in the meantime have the deputy city manager step into the position as a temporary city manager. The council voted in favor of terminating Dickie in a 4-1 vote, Councilwoman Karen Fielding was the sole vote in favor of Dickie—Mayor Jesse Whipple did not appear to vote initially. Once Whipple realized he did not vote, he voted in favor, changing the count to 5-1. Dickie came under fire for racial comments he made during a previous conversation, one he had with Former Mesquite Police Chief Maquade Chesley. Unbeknownst to Dickie, one of the conversations in question was recorded and leaked. 'This is a person I let go in January, so I can see why they are doing this,' Dickie told 8 News Now. Dickie fired Chesley for insubordination following a city investigation regarding alleged threats and misconduct toward the city's police department. During a private conversation with Chesley, Dickie stated that if he was ever let go, he would go down to Louisiana, back to the back parishes and find himself a 6'5' Black woman chief. 'I told them, 'I'd like to go down to Louisiana with the biggest Black Aunt Jemima and just flippin' whip you guys into shape,'' Dickie said. Dickie also stated that they were probably going to 'hate the next chief more than him,' thus making them regret their decision to fire him. 'I made comments that I regret, but it was just between him and I at the time,' Dickie said. 'What I intended to say was, 'Maybe what I need to do is go down south and get a strong Black Woman and whip these guys into shape.'' He continued, 'It was a comment I shouldn't of made, and I talked to council about it and they will hand down a reprimand.' Dickie told 8 News Now that he reported himself to HR once the recordings were sent to the Nevada Current. 'I can't believe I said, 'Aunt Jemima type,'' he said. 'I would never say that in public. 'The gist of what I was trying to say was that maybe the department needs some diversity,' he continued. In regards to the accusations of using racial slurs like the N-word, Dickie denied 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Former Mesquite police chief asked to appear in front of council amid alleged threats to cut employees' throats
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Mesquite's former police chief was asked to appear before the city council amid the partial release of a critical report that found claims of threats, misconduct, and retaliation in the department. On Saturday 8 News Now first reported the city's partial release of an investigation into then Police Chief Maquade Chesley. In one of the report's findings, Chesley was accused of threatening to cut the throat of employees if the investigation resulted in him losing his job. Following the investigation the city asked the Chesley to meet to discuss his actions. City Attorney Mike Branum started the meeting by defining not as a hearing but rather a chance for Chesley to respond to the city—following repeated attempts to speak with his supervisors according to city documents. 'The purpose of this meeting is not investigation, it's not a interrogation,' Branum said. 'This an opportunity for Mr. Joseph Chesley to present any information to counsel he thinks that they should have before they make a decision.' Chesley did not appear before the city council, but he also was not required to, according to the city. Mesquite Councilwoman Pattie Gallo said she would not be misled and questioned the legitimacy of the city's special meeting. 'I'm not going to ratify this,' Gallo said. 'This all could have been avoided if we had proper and competent legal counsel, which we do not.' Gallo noted her concerns, pointing to several court cases between Chesley and the city, and said the cost to taxpayers would be in the tens of thousands of dollars. 'I will not be part of these lawsuits, and I'm not going to go down with the with the city, and that's it,' she said. Councilman Kevin Parrish hesitated to continue the discussion, citing his concern that the special meeting appeared more like a hearing. 'None of the evidence against the chief has ever been presented to either judge,' he said. 'That's a fact.' During the public comment period Wes Boger, a vocal supporter of Chesley, went to the microphone and questioned the fairness of the special meeting, alleging members of the city council were unnamed 'John Does' in active litigation. 'It's gonna be really good when you're over at the federal court getting your photo ops on Facebook,'' Boger said. Boger resigned from the Mesquite City Council earlier this month. According to the city, he made the decision to spend more time with family. Mesquite is currently taking applications for a new council member ahead of an election. Most of the speakers in support of Chesley said they didn't know why the city was moving ahead was ratifying the termination—perhaps not seeing the meeting's attached report. Several Mesquite police officers spoke, out of uniform, to the city council. Some said they had been threatened by the police chief. 'We shouldn't have to be threatened to have our throats slit by our leader,' Ryan Hughes, a Mesquite police officer, said. 'That's crazy.' Hughes said he believed the city had a right to protect the officers, administrators, and supervisors who worked under Chesley. He asked the city to ratify Chesley's termination. 'I think that it's important that you understand from those who worked under the former police chief that it was it was rough,' Hughes said. 'And there's a reason that we're here today.' The city council voted in favor of ratifying Chesley's termination. Gallo left before the meeting ended, walking out with Boger. 'I just wanted to tell you that I applaud the police department,' Councilwoman Karen Fielding said. 'I really look forward for the City of Mesquite to move forward,' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Former Mesquite police chief files lawsuit against city for wrongful termination, breach of contract
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — The former Mesquite police chief filed a lawsuit against the City of Mesquite claiming wrongful termination and breach of contract following an internal investigation. Former Chief MaQuade Chesley was terminated on Jan. 21 after he was the target of a police union no-confidence vote in November 2024, which was presented to the Mesquite City Council. In November 2024, Del Schlosser, the Mesquite Police Union president, explained why the police union reached their no-confidence vote saying Chesley at times had been retaliatory toward people 'because of comments that they made or that things that they've brought forward.' He added, 'There has been some hiring that is believed to be close friends, based on his own comments that they were, it's the perception that it was rushed through, if you will, in the hiring processes.' Mesquite police chief fired following internal investigation Chesley filed the lawsuit on Feb. 3 claiming the city deprived him of any and all procedural protection by terminating him without notice or a hearing and failed to implement safeguards to ensure that Chesley's due process rights were protected. The lawsuit claims that the city violated NRS 289.057 by using a non-law enforcement agency during the investigations into Chesley's alleged misconduct and that the violation was made in 'bad faith.' It also claims that his termination was done at least in part due to the city's 'questionable, discriminatory and retaliatory employment practices.' Chesley's lawsuit says that the city ignored the terms of his contract by terminating him without just cause since he was not an at-will employee. Chesley was not given a pre-termination hearing nor a post-termination hearing and was not given a 'reasonable opportunity to be heard at a meaningful time and in a meaningful manner,' the lawsuit claims. Nevada union votes no confidence in police chief Chesley previously responded to an 8 News Now request for statement regarding the vote and wrote he had made two attempts to meet with the union president to arrange a labor management meeting. 'I take concerns raised by my officers seriously and remain committed to open dialogue to address issues and maintain a productive working environment,' Chesley wrote. Chesley is asking for an award of compensatory damages to be proven at trial, attorney's fees, witness fees, other costs, interest on all damages awarded and for any additional or further relief as may be just and proper, according to the lawsuit. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
