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| SF official complains of ‘hostile work environment’ |
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Posted: Wednesday, August 22, 2012 9:10 pm
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By CHRIS MENEES
Staff Reporter
South Fulton’s city manager is asking that the city’s mayor be held accountable for what she alleges is a “hostile work environment.”
City manager Debra Craig presented her request in the form of a letter she read to the South Fulton City Commission at a called meeting Tuesday evening.
Her allegations against South Fulton Mayor David Crocker came on the heels of a decision the commission made last Thursday night in regard to the city manager’s job description.
At last week’s regular meeting, the commission voted that the city manager keep regular business hours when City Hall is open — a decision which was actually reversed Tuesday evening.
Crocker said the action came after Mrs. Craig did not inform the commission about a financial decision involving the city and then he further alleged the city manager was not truthful about another matter when he spoke with her Monday, a claim which Mrs. Craig flatly denies.
The action regarding the city manager’s job description was placed back on the agenda during a called meeting Tuesday evening at the request of city commissioner Jeff Vowell, who was absent Thursday evening.
Crocker explained it was decided the city manager should come to work during regular business hours other than when she has certain classes to attend or appointments.
“Other than that, yes, come to work during regular business hours. That’s what we voted on. And I really don’t see that that’s unreasonable to ask an employee to come to work during regular business hours,” he said.
It was explained the city manager reports to the city commission and Mrs. Craig then read the letter she drafted to the commissioners Tuesday.
In the letter, she said she knew there would be several challenges when she accepted the city manager’s position in May 2011. She said she understood the difficult nature of the job and was encouraged by the commitment of support from the commission.
She said there have been some mistakes along the way, but she has tried to learn from them; and she said there have, likewise, been several achievements which she takes pride in having initiated.
“That being said, it is unfortunate that I feel the need to bring this before you,” she said. “The work environment in my position has become extremely hostile and I am asking that measures be taken to remedy this situation.”
Mrs. Craig claims there have been four documented incidents since July 20 in which Crocker “belittled and disrespected” her. She alleged the most recent incident occurred Tuesday morning and was witnessed by the city recorder.
“In all incidents, the mayor has come to my office and made accusations,” she said in her letter. “He constantly accuses me of lying and deceiving the board and the city. He repeatedly states that he has no trust in me and that he would terminate me if he could. Furthermore, he consistently undermines my authority and challenges directives that I give to the department heads and city employees.
“Mayor Crocker’s actions have made my job unbearable and have affected the morale and the effectiveness of this office. I respectfully request that Mayor Crocker be held accountable for his actions,” she told the commission.
She said she was reporting the incident to commissioners as her supervisors.
Commission action
Crocker contended Mrs. Craig works at the will of the commission and not one person. He said any commissioner and any citizen have the right to come and talk with the city manager, but he claimed there has been a problem with finding Mrs. Craig and past city managers in the office in order to answer questions for taxpayers.
Vowell, who formerly served as South Fulton’s city manager, said no single commission member can mandate how the city manager operates the city.
“It is not the position of any individual commissioner or mayor on this board to go and mandate how the city operation is to be run to the city manager. It’s just not,” he said.
Crocker said any board member can request anything from the city manager, but Vowell contended they can have a discussion and talk to the city manager.
“If you disagree with it, you cannot dictate policy as to how she manages the affairs of this city on your own. If you have exception to it, you disagree with it, you say ‘Fine, we go in front of the board,’” Vowell said.
Crocker alleged several people have come before the board at recent meetings and indicated they have not been able to reach the city manager in the office, but Vowell said he has never received a complaint from anyone in the community about Mrs. Craig.
“I’ve had hundreds of complaints about our mayor,” he said, drawing laughter from a crowd of about 25 in attendance at the South Fulton Municipal Complex commission room.
Crocker said under South Fulton’s system, the public elects the board and the city manager answers to the board.
“That’s right — and that is not to answer to you on a daily basis in her office, telling her how to run the city. Period,” Vowell said. “She’s not the first one to experience it.”
Vowell said the commission is not familiar with Crocker’s allegation that Mrs. Craig wasn’t truthful to him and he doesn’t know how changing the city manager’s job description will address that matter.
Vice Mayor Charles Moody asked about calling another meeting to address the problems, but commissioner Tony Perry said the commission is responsible and the problem must be addressed immediately.
Vowell said based on his own experience, the commission’s Thursday decision to modify the city manager’s job description is “just silly.”
“You can’t effectively manage this city sitting behind a desk, barricaded up here. You have to be out in the community, you have to meet with the people,” Vowell said. “When you have water leaks, you have to go out and look at property. You just cannot be tied to that desk.”
Crocker said the original motion Thursday was for the city manager to be at work “during regular business hours. It wasn’t to sit in her office from 8 to 4.”
Vowell made the motion Tuesday to remove the clause to require the city manager to be there from 8 to 4 during regular business hours “because it’s completely unnecessary and hamstrings us in hiring future city managers 20 or 30 years from now.”
Vowell’s motion to amend the previous decision was approved by a vote of 3-2. Vowell, Perry and commissioner Thomas Pettigrew voted in favor of the motion, while Crocker and Moody voted against it.
In other action during Tuesday’s called meeting, the commission heard information regarding the city’s junior firefighter/Explorer program and discussed the possibility of any liability against the city. Among those on hand was Tennessee Municipal League representative Paul Chambliss.
Action was tabled pending the receipt of more information from the Boy Scouts regarding the Explorer program and the review of a charter and guidelines for the program. Perry expressed a strong desire to see the program continue in some form.
Published in The Messenger 8.22.12 |
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