PORT HURON, MI — For the second consecutive year, Mayor Anita Ashford declined to participate in the closed-session discussion of Port Huron City Manager James Freed’s annual performance evaluation, continuing her opposition to the council’s practice of discussing the evaluation as a group in closed session.
Council voted 5-2 July 13 to enter closed session for the evaluation, with Ashford and Council Member Barbara Payton voting against the motion. The council remained in closed session for 50 minutes. All council members except Ashford participated in the discussion. Following the closed session, the council voted 6-0 to approve Freed’s performance evaluation as amended.
Ashford said she opposes discussing the annual evaluation as a group in closed session.
Ashford, who served on the City Council from 2014 until being elected mayor in 2024, said she has served about 20 years on the council over multiple terms. She said council members with concerns about the city manager should address them directly.
“I don’t think that’s the recourse we should be taking,” she said. “When you do that, it’s almost as though you’re working for him, and you’re not working for the people.”
Payton, who also voted against entering closed session, participated in the evaluation after the motion was approved. She declined to comment when asked why she voted against the motion.
The closed-session discussion was held at Freed’s request, continuing a practice that began during last year’s annual evaluation.
“I requested a closed session so that we could better understand some of the mayor’s nonsensical comments the last couple years,” Freed told the Times Herald. “She has refused to participate.”
Freed said he rarely speaks with Ashford because, according to him, she has not attended briefing meetings for several months.
According to Freed, he received an overall score of 4.2 on the council’s five-point evaluation scale. A score of 3 is considered satisfactory. Last year’s overall score was 4.3.
In a statement to the Times Herald following the meeting, Freed thanked the council for its evaluation while expressing disappointment that Ashford again chose not to participate.
“I am incredibly grateful for the council’s feedback and another above-average review,” Freed said. “As always, I’m disappointed the mayor chose again to leave in the middle of the meeting and not participate, as I would have valued her input.”
Mayor Pro Tem Sherry Archibald said participating in the annual evaluation is one of the council’s most important responsibilities.
“It is unfortunate that the mayor has not participated in the City Manager’s performance evaluation for the second consecutive year,” Archibald said. “Evaluating the City Manager is one of the most important responsibilities of the City Council, and I believe that responsibility is best fulfilled when every member is present and engaged in the discussion.”
The Port Huron City Council holds regular meetings at 6 p.m. on the second and fourth Monday of each month, except in July, Aug. and Dec., the second meeting is not held.
Meetings are held in the Municipal Office Center, 100 McMorran Blvd., Port Huron and are live streamed on the city’s YouTube channel.
Contact reporter Andy Jeffrey at ajeffrey@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: Port Huron Mayor again skips closed-session discussion of city manager review
Reporting by Andy Jeffrey, Port Huron Times Herald / Port Huron Times Herald
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By Andy Jeffrey, Port Huron Times Herald | USA TODAY Network
