MONTGOMERY — Members of the Montgomery Personnel Board on Monday unanimously approved delaying the mayoral appointment of Donald Watkins Jr. as the city’s new small business development director at an elevated salary.
According to the Montgomery Personnel Board, Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed is requesting the board approve his appointment of Watkins at a salary of $120,960.
Watkins Jr. and his father, Donald Watkins, were convicted in 2019 for running a “complex investment fraud scheme by which they stole more than $10 million over the course of seven years,” according to the DOJ.
James Seale, a Montgomery Personnel Board member, said at the meeting on Monday the hiring and the salary was “egregious and unfair.”
“This gentleman is a convicted felon. I think this sends the wrong message for this city and starting a convicted felon, convicted of fraud, at $120,960 not only sends the wrong message to the city, it sends the wrong message to all the first responders who have been asking for raises and the garbage collectors who have been asking for raises. I can not vote for this and I just think it’s egregious and unfair. That’s my opinion,” Seale said. “I don’t think I can ever vote for this. I can’t stop the hiring. I think the hiring is inappropriate given the circumstances. The salary I definitely object to in consideration of the other first responders, garbage collectors, people that have been asking for pay. Starting this gentleman out at this pay, I just think it’s unfair, it’s an injustice in my opinion.”
The board approved tabling the hiring of Watkins Jr. at $120,960 until their November meeting at the request of Jacqueline Crawford, a Montgomery Personnel Board member.
“I just need to give it some thought,” Crawford said.
Montgomery Personnel Board chairman John Baker said at the meeting, “It is a high salary and there are some concerns.”
"I’ve been getting all kinds of calls about it. I have some concerns as well,” Crawford said.
Watkins Jr. was convicted of one count of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy. He was sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay restitution jointly with his father in the amount of $13,850,000.
A Reed spokesman told Yellowhammer News in 2019 that Watkins Jr. was a “lifelong friend” of Reed in response to a story about a $250 donation from Watkins Jr. to Reed’s mayoral campaign.
According to the Montgomery Personnel Board, the small business development director will “lead the City of Montgomery efforts in growing and sustaining its small business ecosystem. The position directs the City of Montgomery small business programs including SBOSS (Small Business One-Stop Shop), Access Montgomery, and coordinates initiatives that empower entrepreneurs to launch, grow, and thrive. This role is central to ensure equitable access to capital, expanding support services for small business, and building a resilient inclusive local economy. These efforts will mobilize financial and technical resources through public -private partnerships, including cultivating investments from banks, philanthropic organizations and government agencies. The position reports directly to the Director of Economic Development.”
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