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Pedro Segarra, John Rose, And The Battle Mayorale

Jeff Cohen

July 16, 2010

A couple of days ago, we posted the resignation letter of John Rose, the city’s now former corporation counsel. It was dated June 28, and, in it, Rose said his resignation would not be effective immediately — but at the end of the current mayoral term.

That’s in over a year.

Game on.

From various letters between Segarra and Rose (they’re linked below), it looks like there were a few meetings between Rose, Segarra, Chief Operating Officer David Panagore, and the city’s human resources folks. The letters speak for themselves, but here’s a quick summary.

On July 8, Rose sent Segarra a letter, with the subject line “My Involuntary Retirement.” In it, Rose said he initially refused to write a letter announcing his retirement. His first hope was to work another year or so. But on June 30, Segarra told Rose that he had accepted his retirement — immediately. Not in 13 months, as Rose wanted. (Remember: Segarra announced Rose’s resignation on June 30.)

But, in his letter, Rose said he’d leave office on July 9. He did so, he said, “in order to preserve my entitlement to all and every benefit which I have earned as a full-time City employee/Corporation Counsel.”

Read: If he waited around to get fired, he could lose his benefits.

The next day, Segarra wrote Rose back, saying that it was his initial hope that the two men could work “professionally.” Still, Segarra accepted Rose’s resignation. And he geared up for what could be a lawsuit to come.

“I have attempted and afforded you such opportunity as can be provided during a change of administration,” Segarra wrote. ”I can only conclude from your correspondence that our efforts have not been successful and I hereby provide copies of this correspondence to the Office of Corporation Counsel to be held pending any further action on your part.”

(There’s one more letter from Segarra to Rose. It’s dated July 8. But Segarra didn’t send it until he attached it to his July 9 letter to Rose. In that July 8 letter, he reminded rose that “I am the Mayor.”)

You can read all of the letters by clilcking the links in the Related Links box.