Council Votes Not to Renew Kim Haws' Contract; City Manager's Run of Oversight to End at 20 Years
By Julie Perine on January 14, 2019 via Connect-Bridgeport.com
After serving Bridgeport as city manager for about 20 years, Kim Haws will soon be out of the position. After discussion over the past few months, Bridgeport City Council voted Monday evening not to renew Haws' contract, which ends June 30 of this year.
In a work session which preceded tonight’s meeting, Haws asked that Council go into executive session as he had some confidential information he wanted to disclose with regard to personnel matters. Council voted affirmatively to hold the executive session, which covered the last 20 
minutes of the work session.
minutes of the work session.
The regular meeting convened at 7 p.m. and after Council dealt with several other agenda items, Mayor Andy Lang introduced the item concerning Haws’ contract.
“I’d like to say the current contract is set to expire June 30, 2019, and as per the city charter, the city manager was recently evaluated by Council and so documented,” he said. “This item was first placed on our agenda Oct. 8, 2018, and as noted in the minutes of that meeting, we went into executive session to discuss personnel matters and no action was taken after that executive session. I want to be clear that there has been ample time to ask questions and think about what is best for the City of Bridgeport.”
Councilman Lowell Maxey thereafter made a motion that Council not negotiate a contract with the city manager and to start the process of seeking applications for a new city manager to start 
July 1, 2019.
July 1, 2019.
Councilman Jeff Smell seconded the motion, after which Councilman Dustin Vincent said he was in favor of extending the contract. He also questioned whether it was appropriate to take such action without a full Council as Councilman Bob Greer was absent and excused from the meeting.
With Maxey’s motion on the table, a vote was taken; Vincent the only one to oppose.
After the meeting adjourned, Haws said he was rather surprised and that, despite the fact that he and Council have not been able to reach any conclusions on contract negotiations, the item had been placed on tonight’s agenda without any knowledge on his part.
“But let me say this: I have been blessed to raise my children in this community and call it my home and I will continue to call it my home regardless of what happened here tonight,” he said. “The staff has been wonderful and together we have created a foundation for the development and expansion of this community, so I do feel really blessed.”
Haws also said that it is unfortunate that due to small-minded politics, some city projects were not completed, but said that is certainly within the rights of those Council members.
Looking ahead, he said he has a number of opportunities in the wings which he has been working on and that he is sure the future will be an exciting time for him and his family.
