New information about Deputy City Manager Jane Shang’s leave

Questions continue as to why Deputy City Manager Jane Shang is on paid administrative leave.

Today ABC-7 looked back at her final city council appearance this April for clues.

City reps were scheduled to discuss Shang’s departure on Tuesday, Instead, the item was removed from the agenda and members of the media were provided with some documents that tell part of the story.

Former City Manager Joyce Wilson went straight to the city’s human resources department to discuss an exit strategy for Shang, immediately after Shang spoke during the April 22 council meeting.

“I waited for this item until today. If we were going to get private briefings, well, you all should have told us, so I could have been a part of the private briefings,” District 6 City Rep. Eddie Holguin.

Interrupted by the city attorney, Holguin wanted to know why discussion about what happened to Mobility Services Deputy City Manager Shang, was requested to be deleted from the city council agenda.

“When I first put it (discussion) on there (the agenda), there was a lot of questions that I needed answers to. Through a lot of long conversations with several people, I was able to obtain those answers,” District 5 City Rep. Michiel Noe said.

The April 22 city council meeting was Shang’s last appearance there. She made a presentation to council about downtown pedestrian pathway improvements, but frustrations from several council members came out about the way she does her job.

“It’s almost like a smoke screen. You just pull the wool over my eyes, and it ain’t gonna happen anymore,” District 4 City Rep. Carl Robinson said to Shang. He and other council members questioned Shang’s honesty, and downtown’s priority over funding for projects in their districts.

“Mr. Robinson, I have been very honest with you. I have advised you with things that I can or cannot do. A lot of those have to do with funding. That is within the city council to decide where they want to direct funding to,” Shang responded on April 22.

On Tuesday, we were hoping to hear exactly why Wilson initiated the amendment to Shang’s contract, but we were once again told it was a private personnel matter.

Shang is on paid administrative leave through the end of the year. She will then be on paid vacation leave through April 14, 2015, as decided by Wilson. Her salary is nearly $175,000 a year, and she will be eligible for a pension after only seven years on the job, including more than ten months on leave, in April 2015.