City Employees Victim Of Vendetta?

IT IS TIME FOR SOMEONE TO ACT LIKE AN ADULT AT CITY HALL.   

Recent news coverage has given the public only a slight glimpse into what is wrong at Sunnyside City Hall.  BLOGSUNNYSIDE has obtained information through public disclosure requests, and other sources, which will be shared in this post.  I am a results oriented person, and do not relish going into people’s personal affairs.  However, it appears that Interim City Manager Jim Bridges, and City Clerk Deborah Estrada have a personal motivation in their actions regarding Terri Rhode and Pam Sandifer, who have both been placed on administrative leave.  A discipline/termination hearing is likely to be held next week, without all relevant information being given to the City Council.   

It is my desire that the Sunnyside City Council hear directly from two independent investigators about what they have seen and heard at City Hall.  This information should not be filtered by an Interim City Manager who may have an axe to grind.  If the accusations against these employees have merit, then disciplinary action can be justified.  If not, the Interim City Manager should reinstate these employees.  Failure to treat all employees in a similar fashion could result in serious legal consequences for the City, so it is important that the City Council be fully informed.  In this way, the Council can make sure that Rhode and Sandifer are not being singled out for unfair treatment.   

• Pam Sandifer and Terri Rhode are not being accused of malfeasance, theft, a crime, policy breach, lying, poor work habits or incompetence. The total case against them is based on “inappropriate personal e-mails” and the city has even used their personal Facebook page as evidence. The city does not have an e-mail policy. Rhode is being cited for not making a payment for the city’s insurance, but this issue is easily explained and the problem involves Rhode’s chief antagonist (Deborah Estrada). It is also very troubling to see the double standard being applied. Estrada made a $20,000 plus mistake in June of this year when she did not seek legal advice and incorrectly drafted the termination documents for City Manager Eric Swansen. This resulted in the city having to fire Mr. Swansen twice and the payment of two additional months of salary and benefits. To the best of my knowledge, Estrada has suffered no discipline for this mistake.

• Ms. Estrada is the chief antagonist for the proposed firings and the complaint against Sandifer and Rhode. She has a long record of filing unfounded hostile work environment and sexual harassment complaints. There are also documented reports of her unstable behavior. She also has had several “melt downs” at city hall, i.e. suicide threats, barricading doors and hallways, and hiding out in the City Hall basement. This can easily be confirmed by simple interviews of City Hall employees.

The following is a copy of three pages of documents regarding Deborah Estrada’s claim of harassment directed against a former Council Member in Toppenish which was later proven to be unfounded:   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In addition to her unfounded harassment claim against a Council Member in Toppenish, she testified in court depositions that former Sunnyside City Manager Bob Stockwell had harassed her as well. This was mentioned in a recent article in the Yakima Herald, which can be read here. The allegations against Mr. Stockwell turned out to be unfounded as well.  

Further evidence of Estrada’s erratic behavior is documented by 2005 Zillah Police Department Incident Number 05-z0519 where a citizen complained that she chased him down and started swearing at him over what she had determined was not the proper way to drive.  

Estrada’s mental stability has been in question for some time.  Prior to her reported threats of suicide at Sunnyside City Hall, Yakima County Sheriff’s Office incident number 04-19433 documents a medical call at her residence in Zillah, in 2004.   

• Estrada is also one of the primary evidence gatherers for the disciplinary complaint against Sandifer and Rhode. This is very inappropriate and unprofessional. This is especially true when the city’s reason for its unwillingness to hear the Canfield insurance report is the city’s stated belief that their own insurance carrier is somehow biased. How can a complaint be more biased than having the supposed “victim” prepare it?

Below is a copy of a letter to Mayor Garcia, from five city employees, dated July 7, 2009, regarding one of the investigations into the work environment there.  Pam Sandifer and Terri Rhode are two of the five employees who signed the letter.  The City still does not have this investigation report, as the investigation was suspended by Interim City Manager Jim Bridges.  Now, Jim Bridges has Rhode and Sandifer on administrative leave, with a discipline/termination hearing pending.  In my view, this is not a coincidence.   

Mr. Bridges inappropriate past  relationship with a subordinate was the cause of a recent court settlement the City of Sunnyside had to pay.  Had this relationship not occurred, none of these events would be taking place today.  Mr. Bridges nearly lost his job when former City Manager Bob Stockwell had to get involved.  Perhaps he is blaming Sandifer and Rhode for troubles arising from his own transgressions.     

Letter To Mayor Hostile Work Investigation       

• The City and Mr. Bridges seem to think that if they ignore and refuse to hear the two reports they asked for from the investigators Larry Hellie and Alan Key, the information does not exist. The problem is that the information does exist and will come out in the civil law suit that is sure to follow any terminations. The city will look very foolish when asked why they refused to hear any information by independent third parties that would show Sandifer and Rhode in a positive light.

       

• Sunnyside has been in the news enough with recent firings and resignations. Can’t we stop the madness and bloodletting? In January we will have a new council and a fresh start. Let’s not start the year with another law suit against the city.

       

“I expect an open, transparent government with quality services delivered with honesty and integrity”       Council Member Theresa Hancock, Oct. 20, 2009.