MCFADGON MAYOR'S HELP IMPROPER IN THIS BAD COP'S CASE

MAYOR Willie Herenton's effort to find jobs for ex-felons could pay
dividends in reduced recidivism rates. But his help in landing a
$34,940-a-year City Hall job for a former bodyguard seems an act of
cronyism that provides more ammunition to the mayor's critics.

Yalanda McFadgon, who started July 1 as a workforce development
specialist for the city's new youth opportunity program, betrayed the
public trust and tainted the mayor's office and the police department
in 1998 when she hid $70,000 in drug money.

McFadgon was sentenced in federal court in 1999 to five months in
prison, five months of house arrest and 200 hours of community service
after she pleaded guilty to felony counts of concealing drug-dealing
proceeds, interfering with a federal search and conspiracy to
interfere. A federal grand jury named her as an unindicted
co-conspirator in a large drug trafficking scheme.

Now she is back on the city payroll, having been notified of a job
opening by the mayor's staff and recommended for employment by
Herenton. Her job: developing programs to provide job readiness and
leadership skills to dropouts.

"I needed a female who could relate to troubled youth," said Marie
Milam, project director for the city's youth opportunity program. "She
had done a good job of that while she was with the Police
Department."

McFadgon also has experience working off duty with youth - one
16-year-old in particular.

In 1998, an FBI-led task force targeting a McFadgon friend and a
sister served search warrants at 11 locations believed to hold caches
of marijuana or drug money. Among the sites was McFadgon's Bartlett
home.

As she was dropping her 6-year-old daughter at her sister's home in
North Memphis, McFadgon discovered a search in progress. She called
home on her Police Department-issued cell phone, reached her
16-year-old niece and told her to hide $70,000 that was in the attic.

The niece put the money in a bag, intending to hide it in her school
locker, but federal agents arrived before she could leave.

Herenton said he "highly recommended" McFadgon for the job because she
was "very competent, very task-oriented and a good worker," as the
supervisor of his bodyguard detail.

Of course McFadgon deserves a second chance. A recommendation from
Herenton for a private sector job - where a more objective assessment
of her qualifications could be made - would be appropriate. But a bad
cop is not the kind of hire to get Herenton's initiative to employ
ex-felons off to a credible start. In fact, it could taint a
commendable program.

The mayor is expected soon to unveil his Second Chance Ex-Felon
Program, which would use federal tax credits and government-backed
bonding to encourage private employers to hire former criminals. He
has said that some city divisions and independent city agencies also
could hire ex-felons as part of the program. Such an effort could help
the thousands of Tennesseans jailed each year for probation or parole
violations.

BUT THE MAYOR seems determined at times to arm his critics with
evidence that his political radar fails to detect ethical problems,
whether it's getting into the billboard business or hiring friends to
conduct studies for city government.

His help getting his former chief bodyguard back onto the public
payroll further illustrates the mayor's occasional lack of awareness
of, if not a disregard for, constituents' concerns.