Controversy swirls around Girls Club leadership

Controversy swirls around Girls Club leadership

By John Rech ‘Pressed Down & Measured’

[ Note: This is part one of a two- part editorial. The second part looks at ideas under consideration by West Memphis city administration to beef up club accountability and reporting requirements in the ordinance governing club fund distribution]

With no question asked about the best interest of children, West Memphis City Council, divided a $72,500 pie of tax revenue gleaned from Southland and handed it over to the four boys and girls clubs operating in city buildings. It’s tradition. The proceeds are earmarked to go toward the benefit of youth in the city.

But, one club leader was arrested on June 9 charged with a felony forgery for doctoring a prescription. In a scandal concerning drugs, money and children, City Council – without one question regarding the best interest of children – handed over a quarter share to that L.R. Jackson Girls Club leader, Chancey Rainey. A plea date of November 29 is set for Rainey with jury trial dates December 5-9.

Unfortunately drug charges and club workers have come up before. Fortunately, a previous case was handled completely different. While the alleged felon Rainey still holds the keys to the city building, still signs for the city required reports and picked up an $18,000 quarterly check on behalf of her club, a part-time worker at another club was previously charged for holding marijuana and immediately suspended pending investigation. That part-timer also served part-time at an elementary school. The school district immediately suspended her as well. The club and the school acted in accordance with sound previously written policy aligned with the current best practices in human resource employee discipline.

On the date of the alleged passing of a forged prescription March 9, Rainey worked for the Arkansas Department of Community Corrections as a probation officer. The state doesn’t play. While City Councilors and the L.R. Jackson Club appear to have responded with complete inertia, the State according to it’s publicly available personnel policy may discipline those charged with a felony or for tarnishing the image of the organization including suspension without pay or termination. While Rainey’s employment status with the ACC is not known publicly, it can be assumed the ACC did not remain at complete rest with an officer arrested on a drug charge.

Operating under both the presumption of innocence and within contemporary human resource practice is a evidently a balancing act to be avoided if you sit on the West Memphis City Council. Councilors could try to say it is just club business with a club employee but it is more. It concerns the best interests of city youth, the mandate the ordinance stipulates. City Council copped out, handing over the quarterly funds after the arrest was publicly known. Rainey’s reign at the club continues. She signed for the report and picked up $18k at a city office last week, no questions asked, again.

Rainey has been in the news before. A couple of summers ago clamor in the community forced a public meeting about the L.R. Jackson Girls Club. Rainey presided over the meeting attended by some City Council members. By all accounts the meeting was a disgrace, marred with acrimony and epithets of all kinds, vulgar tags, racial labels, and blasphemy. I’ve heard a recording. Overtime the controversy about children’s programs and club operations spilled into different venues. Public comment was heard in City Council chambers with three different citizens speaking out. At one point City Council employed the power of the purse and cut off the club for no quarterly report. But emotions continued running high over club business and one City Councilman endured a literal busted knee cap and an assault conviction proving it.

Rainey once promoted an event in conjunction with her sorority, her employer, the ACC, and her club. She was there in uniform, as parolees and probationers were invited into a life skills Expo. The sorority handed out tips for successful job interviews and toiletries as part of the event.

Surely Rainey knew at that time she represented herself, her club, her sorority and her employer.

Yet subsequent to her arrest she has done nothing to keep the club organization above reproach. The sorority has said nothing as Rainey’s arrest surely scrubs some shine from their image. For the sake of children, the club did nothing to put Rainey at arms length, even on an interim basis until a judge wraps the gavel. Most regrettably, operating under the mandate of for ‘the benefit of city youth’ and while holding the power of the purse, West Memphis City Council silence served as consent, cementing in the sad status quo at the L.R. Jackson Girls Club under the reign of Rainey.