City: Lovely Warren's uncle decides not to pursue security job

Mayor Lovely Warren's uncle will not seek the job he briefly held as head of her security detail, the city said Wednesday.

Reggie Hill, who resigned last month in the wake of two traffic stops for speeding and a red light camera violation, "made the decision a while ago that he would not complete the interview process," Warren spokeswoman Chris Christopher said in a statement emailed around 8 a.m. Wednesday.

A day earlier, the city had confirmed that Hill was one of 19 applicants for the job. The Democrat and Chronicle followed up with the administration by email and phone throughout the afternoon and evening before posting a story online at 7:45 p.m.

Wednesday morning's statement said the city's human resources director had been unaware of Hill's plan to withdraw his application. None of the city officials reached Tuesday — including Christopher — indicated that Hill planned to withdraw. It remained unclear who, if anyone, Hill had informed of his plans before Wednesday morning.

Christopher blamed the Democrat and Chronicle for rushing to publish the story.

"I stress that had the Democrat and Chronicle waited for the process to take its course according to established procedures then this never would have been a story at all," Christopher said in the emailed statement.

Hill had been at the center of a controversy that dominated the early days of his niece's administration. His appointment to a temporary post as the leader of her security team fueled scrutiny of Warren that some saw as racially motivated.

City Council members sought to intervene in the growing frenzy, calling for a Board of Ethics investigation that would determine whether Hill's hiring violated the city's anti-nepotism policy.

On a trip to Albany, Hill was stopped twice for speeding with Warren in the car. He was suspended for a week and paid a fine for a red light camera violation. He announced his resignation on the last day of the suspension.

In light of his resignation, council dropped the ethics matter last week.