2007-07-11 Board of Ethics Minutes Regular Session

Home

Sharpless: Within the Council administration, is there any mechanism for employees to voice concerns about office practices? Hale: That would be the County Clerk. It is the County Clerk. We attempt to go to her. When it comes to County and ethics complaints, I understand now that it is Ken Goodenow, the Deputy Clerk. When we —it is quite confusing, I don't understand what you are asking. Let me put it this way. When I went to see Casey about this, and there was a lot of dialog about me getting fired and trying to get this straightened out, one of the things she did tell me was, you know, Barbara, you are hired by the County Council person, therefore she is powerless. Sharpless: Who is powerless? Hale: Casey Jarman. Sharpless: Okay, my next question. Do you feel that in going to Mr. Bishop you violated any rules of confidentiality, either written or implied, one has to their superior, or that you violated any issues of —I don't want to say decorum, but that just stick with the confidentiality. By going to Mr. Bishop, do you feel that you had violated any, or were violating any, issues of confidentiality that go on in your office? Hale: No. Sharpless: Thank you. Dill: Ms. Hale, just to clarify —your main motivation for going to Mr. Bishop first, rather than seeking counsel or going through the proper channels of an ethics investigation —you stated anger was your main motivation. Do you want to elaborate on that or any other motivations you may have had? Hale: Okay, it wasn't that I went to Hunter. He called my office early in the morning. It was like a quarter to seven or even earlier. I was at my desk. I got the call. He asked me how I was. It was an odd thing in the morning. I said I was fine, and he said, are you sure? I said, yeah. Then I said, well, you know you sound like you know more than I do about something. He said, well, I just saw Emily and Gwen at a community meeting, and they both said they are very dissatisfied with your work and they're thinking to fire you when they get back. I was stunned. I was — in fact the gal that was standing in the office —I said fired? It wasn't retaliatory, it was a response. I said what? And I was angry, yes. Dill: Did you elaborate more after that then? Hale: Not right after that, because he kept saying —he was talking, actually, and I was responding. He said, how do you feel about that, have you done your work? He's here. Dill: More importantly, at that time, during that conversation when you found out about the so called potential to be fired, did you make any allegations at that point about 27