The head of Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren's security detail, Reggie Hill, who is also her uncle, has resigned that position. That word came from City Hall late Friday afternoon. Warren's Director of Communications, Chris Christopher, says Hill resigned from his temporary appointment immediately, and she emphasized that he came to that decision on his own.
Christopher says Hill told her he no longer wants to be a distraction from the important work that Warren was elected to do. Christopher says there was never any question about his qualifications for the job, or the need for his services. She says if he wants to, Hill can apply for the same job since it is now posted.
Questions were raised about Hill's temporary appointment because he is related to the mayor, and City Council recently asked the Ethics Board to look into the appointment. There was also controversy about reports that Hill was stopped twice for speeding on the Thruway while taking the mayor to and from the state of the state address in Albany earlier this month. Hill was later suspended for a week without pay.
Hill, who is a retired state police investigator, was not ticketed.
Here is Christopher's complete statement:
"I want to be very clear that this is a decision that Mr. Hill has come to on his own. He told me personally he no longer wants to be a distraction from the important work that Mayor Warren was elected to do," said Christopher. "There has never been any question about Mr. Hill's unique qualifications for the position, or the need for his services. The only issues raised have been about process, and we are very confident that all the appropriate procedures were followed in consultation with the Department of Human Resource Management."
"If he so chooses, Mr. Hill may apply for the position of Director of Executive Services that is now posted. If he applies, he will be evaluated by the same process as all other candidates under the supervision of the Department of Human Resource Management," Christopher concluded.
