Last week, we wrote about the the bus driver who loved some Vitamin C, and promoted Vincent Orange for Mayor on his bus route, asking his riders to think about the votes on September 12th. While I can support his civic-mindedness, and certainly his drive to educate DC’s voting populace about the upcoming race, his devotion to his candidate has indirectly cost him his job. After the Post’s article on Sidney Davis, he was suspended for improper behavior on the job, and now he’s been fired for failing to disclose a criminal record.
Davis has been out of prison since 1992, and crime-free, so it strikes me that Metro’s decision, while to the letter, policy-wise, will do it more harm than good. We hope they reconsider, as it appears that aside from Davis’ proselytizing for Vincent Orange, he’s been a good driver, and we all know how rare that is on the Metrobus system. WMATA has released Dan Tangherlini’s response to Vincent Orange (PDF) who had petitioned for Davis to be given only disciplinary action, not a dismissal. In addition, WMATA’s Lisa Farbstein has said that the Post and other news sources have “missed the point” with regard to their stories.
So, what is the point? That their driver was fired for failing to disclose a criminal record, something that apparently they were not checking on their own? How “routine” was the personnel file review, if it resulted from the Post’s initial story on Davis? Goes to show, if they’re looking to fire you, they’ll find just about any reason under the sun to do it.
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
I live and work in the District of Columbia. I write at We Love DC, a blog I helped start, I work at Technolutionary, a company I helped start, and I’m happy doing both. I enjoy watching baseball, cooking, and gardening. I grow a mean pepper, keep a clean scorebook, and wash the dishes when I’m done. Read Why I Love DC.
