CLEVELAND — Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb’s administration is responding to backlash over his decision to hire Phillip McHugh, Bibb’s former college roommate, as a senior public safety adviser for the city, despite allegations against him in a federal civil rights lawsuit.
Several members of city council, residents and organizations like the Cleveland Branch of the NAACP have spoken out against the hiring of the former Washington D.C. police officer.
“This guy is not from our community,” Kayla Griffin, president of NAACP Cleveland, said. “He does not know Cleveland. He doesn’t know the issues of Cleveland.”
A spokesperson from the mayor’s office confirmed the salary for McHugh’s role is $124,000.
McHugh is named in a 2016 lawsuit alleging he violated the civil rights of an elderly Black couple, Vashti and Eugene Sherrod.
The lawsuit states that Mr. Sherrod is legally blind and outlines how the couple’s parked car was hit by another vehicle trying to parallel park.
The incident escalated with yelling as the parties exchanged insurance information.
A few hours later, the white woman who was driving the vehicle that hit the Sherrod’s car, Diane Lee Schultz, called the police and told them Mrs. Sherrod pulled a gun on her at the time of the incident.
The Sherrods said they’ve never owned a gun.
Then Detective McHugh was assigned to the case and got a warrant to search the Sherrod’s home, turning it inside-out and coming out with no gun.
Still, a court issued a warrant for Mrs. Sherrod’s arrest, so she turned herself into jail.
She was 75 years old at the time.
Eventually, the Sherrods sued, which resulted in a settlement and all charges dropped against McHugh and the Sherrods.
In Monday night’s Cleveland city council meeting, several members sounded off about their disappointment in the mayor over this hire.
“We are in the middle of a consent decree,” said Ward 9 Representative Kevin Conwell. “What kind of message is the mayor, he’s in leadership, is sending his safety forces? Because we don’t want to violate people’s civil rights, and then you bring him in?”
Griffin shared similar thoughts, said she believes the administration could have found a better fit, especially as the city remains unable to reach the benchmarks for constitutional policing.
“I’m sure he’s done some great things or wonderful things outside of the incident that has been highlighted, but to be a public safety adviser, a top senior adviser, when Cleveland is in such a precarious state trying to get out of a very long-standing consent decree, this is not the way to do it,” she said.
The Cleveland Branch NAACP has started a petition calling for McHugh’s termination.
As of Tuesday evening, they have a little more than 200 signatures.
The mayor’s office released a statement that reads, “Mr. McHugh has dedicated his life to public service. His resume reflects continuous advancement, and he has received several commendations, honors and awards throughout his career including as Officer of the Year, two United States Department of Justice (DOJ) Awards for Public Service, and a Life Saving Award for his successful negotiation with and physical rescue of a suicidal youth from a freeway overpass.”
“The administration is aware that Mr. McHugh was a party in a lawsuit stemming from a criminal investigation he conducted in conjunction with the United States Attorney’s Office nearly ten years ago in Washington, D.C. All claims made against Mr. McHugh were dismissed with prejudice prior to the disposition of the matter and there was no finding of wrongdoing by the court or Mr. McHugh’s former employer. Throughout his career, there has never been a sustained finding related to Mr. McHugh’s bias or integrity.”
“The city conducted a thorough search for the Senior Advisor for Public Safety and Mr. McHugh was identified as the most qualified candidate for the role. He brings a unique set of experience, knowledge and new ideas to the city.”