Detroit City Councilwoman Mary Waters has fired her community liaison, Reggie Davis, after investigators discovered he and former council president Charles Pugh posed as incoming Ombudsman staff to secure a lucrative job. The probe began after the outgoing Ombudsman Bruce Simpson learned of the contacts, which were made by Davis and Pugh during phone calls and a video meeting.
According to the Detroit Office of Inspector General (OIG), Davis used his position on Waters' staff to obtain information from WingSwept, the vendor behind the Ombudsman's case-tracking system. He presented himself as part of the incoming team preparing to take over the department, but was actually using the information for his own potential role in the office.
Davis had been accused of harassing two women who later secured personal protection orders against him, and it is unclear why he was working with Pugh, a convicted sex offender. The OIG found that Davis "falsely presented himself as part of the incoming Ombudsman team and abused his position by using his title to improperly access information."
Davis's attorney has argued that his client was simply preparing for his potential role in the Ombudsman Office and had sought only publicly available information. However, the OIG disagreed, finding that Davis "abused his position" and recommended disciplinary action.
The incident raises questions about the integrity of the Detroit City Council and the vetting process for high-profile positions. Waters has stated that her review of the OIG report coupled with her independent assessment resulted in her decision to terminate Davis's employment due to his conduct, which she said "impugned the integrity of the council and is detrimental to those who hold public trust as elected officials."
According to the Detroit Office of Inspector General (OIG), Davis used his position on Waters' staff to obtain information from WingSwept, the vendor behind the Ombudsman's case-tracking system. He presented himself as part of the incoming team preparing to take over the department, but was actually using the information for his own potential role in the office.
Davis had been accused of harassing two women who later secured personal protection orders against him, and it is unclear why he was working with Pugh, a convicted sex offender. The OIG found that Davis "falsely presented himself as part of the incoming Ombudsman team and abused his position by using his title to improperly access information."
Davis's attorney has argued that his client was simply preparing for his potential role in the Ombudsman Office and had sought only publicly available information. However, the OIG disagreed, finding that Davis "abused his position" and recommended disciplinary action.
The incident raises questions about the integrity of the Detroit City Council and the vetting process for high-profile positions. Waters has stated that her review of the OIG report coupled with her independent assessment resulted in her decision to terminate Davis's employment due to his conduct, which she said "impugned the integrity of the council and is detrimental to those who hold public trust as elected officials."
just saw this news about that community liaison Reggie Davis gettin' fired from city councilwoman Mary Waters' office... like what even is goin' on here? 
according to the oig report, he was posin' as part of the new ombsman staff team but was actually just tryna get his hands on some juicy info for himself. and now there's questions about the integrity of the city council... it's all pretty sus tbh 
my heart is breaking for the city of Detroit, this corruption scandal just got even more shady. how can someone get away with using their position like that? i mean, i know we need to hold people accountable but at what cost? it's all about power and greed, right? 
and now there are two women who have had to go through harassment... it's just not right. 
the fact that Reggie Davis was working with Charles Pugh, a convicted sex offender, is just ugh. this is a total betrayal of trust. the city council needs to take a hard look at themselves and make sure they're doing better. we need leaders who are gonna put the people first, not just their own interests. 
This dude Reggie Davis thought he was slick, posing as part of a new team just to get ahead? Like, come on! 
. And what's with him working with Charles Pugh, who's got a sex offender conviction? That's just shady 
. I mean, I get it, people want a paycheck, but not at the expense of their integrity or others' trust 
. The fact that Mary Waters is holding someone accountable for this nonsense is a good start 
. Can't say enough about how frustrating it is when folks like Davis think they can just slide through life without getting caught 
.
. I mean, how can you just pose as someone else to get a job? It's like, so not right! 
. It's clear that Davis didn't have the integrity to be a community liaison #AccountabilityMatters #TransparencyIsKey
everywhere. And to think they were using this info for a lucrative job... it's like they thought they could get away with it. Newsflash: corruption is never going to be tolerated in a public office 
. I don't trust Waters to investigate these situations properly herself, though. Maybe she's just trying to cover her own backside 
.
. We need more accountability, not less 
I don't blame Waters one bit for firing him, she had to do what was best for her and the city. it's like, you can't just play fast and loose with public trust, that's not how we're supposed to operate in this country 
i hope they get to the bottom of this and make sure something like this never happens again 
I'm not surprised to see this happening in Detroit, it's like they're saying that no one is above the law, or at least someone is willing to bend the rules 
. The thing that gets me is how Davis tried to spin his actions as just "preparing" for a role, but the OIG saw right through that 
. It's not about having access to information for your own good, it's about abusing power and manipulating people into doing what you want.
. The question is, how many other scandals are hiding in plain sight? And what's going to happen to the people who let this kind of thing slide?
. It's time for some serious reforms and a renewed focus on integrity and transparency 
. It sounds like Reggie Davis was totally out of line and took advantage of his position on Mary Waters' staff to get ahead. Using someone's title to access private info is just not cool 
. I hope Waters was right to fire him and that this incident brings more scrutiny to how these high-profile positions are vetted 
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. And now Mary Waters is like "nope, not on my watch" 
.
it was a golden retriever doing backflips on its hind legs and I'm dead 
I mean, have you guys seen that? anyway, back to this news... what's up with the vetting process for these high-profile positions? like, shouldn't we be checking for red flags or something? 
but I guess it's good that Waters held him accountable 
and Charles Pugh on top of that, like convicted sex offender? how can we even trust the council now? 