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The Montgomery Personnel Board on Monday delayed a decision on a request by Mayor Steven Reed to hire Donald Watkins Jr., as the city’s small and minority business development director at a salary of $120,960. Watkins and his father, Donald Watkins Sr., were convicted on fraud charges by a federal grand jury in 2019. The decision to hire Watkins rests with the mayor. The salary depends on approval by the three-member Personnel Board because it is far above the starting pay for the job - $82,368. Board member James R. “Spud” Seale opposed the salary and the decision to hire Watkins. “Mr. Chairman, this gentleman is a convicted felon. I think this sends the wrong message for this city,” Seale said. “And starting a convicted felon, convicted of fraud, starting a convicted felon at $120,960, not only sends the wrong message to the city, it sends the wrong message to all the first responders who’ve been asking for raises and the garbage collectors who’ve been asking for raises. “I cannot vote for this, and I just think it’s egregious and unfair.” Board member Jacqueline Crawford said she did not disagree with Seale but asked to postpone a vote on the salary request. “I just need to give it some thought,” Crawford said. Board Chair John L. Baker supported postponing the vote until the next meeting, on Nov. 10. “It is a high salary, and there are some concerns,” Baker said. “I’ve been getting all kind of calls about it, and I have some concern as well.” Crawford asked Seale if he opposed the hiring as well as the salary. “Well, obviously, I can’t stop the hiring,” Seale said. “But I think that the hiring is inappropriate given the circumstances. “And the salary I definitely object to in consideration of the other first responders, garbage collectors, people that have been asking for pay, and starting this gentleman out at this pay. I just think it’s unfair. It’s an injustice, in my opinion.” Watkins, who did not attend the Personnel Board meeting, declined to comment on the meeting or the mayor’s decision to hire him. He said he might do so later. The mayor also did not attend the Personnel Board meeting. He was holding a press conference on the Oct. 5 mass shooting in downtown Montgomery at the same time as the board meeting. The mayor has so far declined to provide a statement about his decision to hire Watkins. Montgomery Personnel Director Carmen Douglas said written justification is required for paying any new hire above the entry level pay. Board approval is also required if the starting pay is more than one step above entry level, as it would be in Watkins’ case. The justification for Watkins’ salary, written by Lucinda Babers, chief operating officer for the mayors office, said Watkins “has provided direct technical assistance and mentorship to small business owners and entrepreneurs.” That work includes helping a consulting firm obtain certification with the state as a minority-owned business to position itself for contracting opportunities. “In addition, Mr. Watkins conducted seminar presentations that educated entrepreneurs on how to identify and secure government contracting opportunities. Those sessions provided step-by-step strategies on navigating procurement processes, and participants leveraged this knowledge to pursue new revenue streams.” Watkins and his father were indicted in November 2018 on seven counts of wire fraud, two counts of bank fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud relating to a conspiracy the government claimed lasted for nearly a decade. A jury found Watkins Sr. guilty on all counts. The jury convicted Watkins Jr. on two of the charges - conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud and wire fraud, and acquitted him on the others. U.S. District Judge Karon O. Bowdre sentenced Watkins Sr. to five years in prison and Watkins Jr., to two years and three months in prison. Following his release from prison, the judge ordered Watkins Jr. to serve three years of supervised release. The judge also ordered Watkins Jr. to pay $13,850,000 jointly with his father in restitution. The fraud crimes involved, in part, convincing high-profile investors, including Charles Barkley and other former professional athletes to invest in businesses associated with Watkins Sr. According to testimony and documents presented in court, Barkley lost $6.15 million in the case from 2007 to 2014. Watkins Sr. and Watkins Jr. used some of that money for personal expenses. Watkins Jr. apologized to the victims at the sentencing hearing.
