The saga over Charlotte’s decision to quietly part ways with its police chief with a $305,000 separation agreement has been marked by a series of questionable moves that deepened concerns about trust and transparency with the public. And for a while, it felt like every step the city took to address the matter only made it worse.
But city leaders have finally taken a step to handle the situation the right way. The city has reportedly hired outside counsel to investigate claims made by City Council member Victoria Watlington, who expressed concern about unethical, immoral, and frankly, illegal activities” in city government after news of the settlement broke in May.
Originally, when Interim City Attorney Anthony Fox said he planned to investigate Watlington’s comments, it was an investigation he intended to lead himself. That was problematic for a number of reasons, particularly because Fox played a big role in the process that led to the settlement, as well as the city’s poor handling of it…