Responding to an accusation of civil rights violations on the part of a city employee who claims one of her jobs was eliminated solely because she is black, the city of Massillon, Ohio has officially requested mediation to resolve the matter.

The employee, Dwan Gordon-St. John, was initially employed by the city as a parking enforcement officer.  She currently splits two full-time positions in the city’s income tax and community development offices.  She qualifies as a full-time employee.  Her current positions earn more ($11.03 per hour) than the disputed parking job ($9.04 per hour).

Gordon-St. John was hired in June of 2014 for a part-time parking position that the city council had created via legislation that specifically funded it as a part-time job with no benefits.  The mayor, acting with the knowledge of the city council, later combined this position with a second part-time clerical position in the income tax office – creating, in essence, a full-time position that then qualified Gordon-St. John for full benefits.  These unexpected and unapproved costs prompted the council to remove funding for the position.

The council vehemently denies that race was a motivating factor in the elimination of the position and offers the fact that Gordon-St. John remains a city employee and is actually in a better-paying position as proof that their sole concern was the creation of a position that went far beyond the initial funding they had approved.

The mediation has yet to be scheduled.