After weeks of tough headlines and City Council criticism, Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb announced the resignation of his newly hired safety advisor on Thursday.
Phillip McHugh, a former police officer in Washington, D.C., joined City Hall earlier this year as a special advisor to the safety director. But the hiring soon became a lightning rod. In April, News 5 reported that McHugh was one of Bibb’s college roommates, and that he had faced a civil rights lawsuit from an older Black couple when he served as a police officer in Washington.
The Bibb administration initially defended the hire, pointing out that the lawsuit was settled without a finding of liability against McHugh. City Council members, particularly Ward 5’s Richard Starr, kept up a steady drumbeat of calls for Bibb to dump his new advisor.
In his resignation letter to the mayor on Thursday, McHugh accused council members and the media of making “demonstrably false and misleading statements.”
“While it has been an honor to join your administration, the politically motivated smear campaign initiated against me by select members of the City Council and the media has made it nearly impossible to focus on the work and to serve the City effectively,” he wrote. He added: “I am not a liar and I have never acted with racial bias.”
The Cleveland branch of the NAACP had also criticized the hire. The Bibb administration sought to smooth McHugh’s entry into City Hall, arranging meetings with ministers and city employees.
Bibb issued a statement Thursday afternoon that defended McHugh’s qualifications while acknowledging the discontent with his hiring. The mayor, who has family roots in Alabama, invoked his grandparents’ upbringing in the segregated South.
“I understand that the hiring of Phil has evoked pain within our community,” Bibb’s statement read. “I have heard your concerns and acknowledge that situations like these are hard – as a leader, as a resident, and as a Black man. The issues of race, discrimination and privilege that have been raised are complex and nuanced, and I’ve been grappling with how to best navigate and address them.”
Cleveland City Council released a statement Thursday afternoon from Starr, who thanked Bibb for accepting the resignation.
“We must ensure that our city’s safety leaders and officials can be trusted, especially with the Cleveland Division of Police still under a U.S. Department of Justice Consent Decree,” Starr’s statement read. “Hiring someone involved with constitutional and civil rights issues goes against our efforts to improve and reform public safety.”
Read Bibb’s statement below:
Dear Cleveland Residents,
I am writing to inform you of the decision of Philip McHugh to resign from his role in the Department of Public Safety and to step down from the administration effective immediately.
I understand that the hiring of Phil has evoked pain within our community. I have heard your concerns and acknowledge that situations like these are hard – as a leader, as a resident, and as a Black man. The issues of race, discrimination and privilege that have been raised are complex and nuanced, and I’ve been grappling with how to best navigate and address them.
As a Black man born and raised in Cleveland, with grandparents from the segregated South who instilled in me a deep commitment to civil rights and social justice, I ran for Mayor of Cleveland with a vision of creating equitable change. I believe in the power of effective leadership and diverse perspectives to address the most pressing, complex issues facing our community. First and foremost of these is public safety. I know that if we cannot get this right, nothing else matters.
I have said from the beginning that our city is in need of smart and talented individuals to help us modernize public safety and address the evolving challenges we face. The complexities of public safety require innovative solutions, data-driven strategies, and a collaborative approach that leverages the expertise and insights of a diverse range of professionals. Since meeting Phil, I have known him to be this type of leader. However, Phil recognizes that his past has led to a distraction as well as concern from our community and my staff. It became clear to Phil that he will not be able to be effective in this environment. Still, I remain committed to delivering these solutions for Clevelanders so they have the level of service they deserve.
Every day I wake up, I’m focused on the safety of our residents. It’s a pivotal moment in our city where we have the opportunity to make a real difference, and I’m committed to doing everything in my power to ensure that we do.
My commitment is unwavering and I need each and every one of you to continue to help us in that cause.
I am here for you and I am here with you.
Sincerely,
Mayor Justin Bibb
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Cleveland City Council members took Mayor Justin Bibb to task for hiring a public safety advisor who faced a civil rights lawsuit in Washington, D.C.