Longboat Key faces Town Hall turmoil

Here’s a brief look at the landscape of Longboat Key Town Hall as of Tuesday afternoon:

• Susan Phillips, assistant to the town manager, is now acting town manager.

• Longboat Key Police Chief Al Hogle is no longer acting as town manager and is now back to the police-department full time.

• Longboat Key Planning Zoning & Building Director Monica Simpson is on paid administrative leave following employee complaints that Simpson created a hostile work environment.

It’s Hogle’s handling of employee complaints about Simpson that led the Longboat Key Town Commission to relieve him of his role as acting town manager.

“My concern is that the current town manager has rushed to judgment and that there hasn’t been a proper review of that judgment,” Mayor Jim Brown said at the start of an emergency meeting he called Monday afternoon at the end of a commission Comprehensive Plan workshop.

But did Hogle rush to judgment or act within the realm of his role as acting town manager? That’s where many involved with the situation disagree.

Emergency situation
At Monday’s emergency meeting, Hogle told the commission that two employees came to him Friday and “reported a very serious problem.” He ordered Police Capt. Bill Tokajer to conduct an investigation that included interviews with eight P&Z employees, from which Hogle concluded “that this was a hostile work environment, that (employees) were being bullied and that they were getting harassment from that department head.” Hogle thought the immediate issue was to keep Simpson away from those employees and that Simpson should be placed on administrative leave without pay.

Hogle told the Longboat Observer that he immediately contacted the town’s labor attorney, Reynolds Allen, which Allen confirmed.

Town Attorney David Persson told the Longboat Observer that while he was out of town for the weekend, he received a phone call from a Planning, Zoning and Building Department employee Friday night, explaining that Tokajer was conducting an investigation of Simpson at the request of the town attorney.

“That’s the first I heard anything about it,” said Persson, who believes Tokajer misspoke by saying the “town attorney” instead of the “town labor attorney.” Persson said he called Hogle and discovered about the investigation at that time.

“It was perfectly legitimate to leave me out of the equation because I’m not the town’s labor attorney,” said Persson, who participated in a conference call with Hogle, Tokajer and labor attorney Reynolds Allen to give Hogle advice on Sunday.

Persson said he continued to stay out of the discussion even though some commissioners began calling him Sunday night and Monday to express their concern with Hogle’s decision and the speed of the process.

Hogle said at Monday’s meeting that he called commissioners over the weekend, not seeking their direct input, but to make them aware of the situation.

But at Monday’s meeting, Brown suggested that Hogle acted too quickly.

“When I did have time to think about it, I said my suggestion would be to put the employee on a two-week leave and have an independent survey done reporting to the interim town manager,” he said.

“I got the same kind of pushback I got from another town manager,” Brown said.

Commissioners Jack Duncan and Pat Zunz expressed concern that Persson didn’t play a bigger role in the process.

“I accepted the fact that our attorney and Reynolds Allen went along with the process and the speed at which it was going,” Zunz said. “I was under the impression that they agreed with it. I have since found out it is not true.”

Persson, who was out of town during Monday’s meeting, told the Longboat Observer that Hogle did nothing wrong and commissioners were only worried about the speed in which he moved to put Simpson on administrative leave and offer her an opportunity to resign.

“Al Hogle is a good and honorable guy who’s a respected police chief,” Persson said. “But Al’s training is that of a police officer, who is trained to act quickly and decisively.”

Persson said the commission wanted to slow down the investigation and give Simpson an opportunity to respond to the allegations.

“In terms of suspending Simpson, Al acted rationally and logically,” Persson said. “I would suggest Al made the right decision.”

To slow down the process, Persson said the only thing the commission could do was to replace the acting town manager.

“The Town Commission is an activist commission right now, and Monica Simpson is perceived as a can-do employee at Town Hall who’s made a huge impact,” Persson said. “The bottom line is a majority of the commissioners had a problem with severing her relationship so abruptly.”

At Monday’s meeting, Commissioners Lynn Larson and Hal Lenobel expressed support for Hogle.

“In my opinion, I think the town manager acted not only appropriately but acted courageously,” Larson said.

“Rarely do I agree with Commissioner Larson, but this time I do 100%,” Lenobel said. “The town manager acted within the realm of the charter.”

The commission passed a motion to remove Hogle as acting town manager.

“Al, I’m sorry,” Brown said. “I felt backed into a corner.”

“I just want to say that in the 12 years I’ve served on the commission, this was the first instance of a kangaroo court I’ve ever participated in,” Lenobel said.

The commission passed a motion appointing Phillips to the role of acting town manager after attorney Andy Cohen, who was filling in for Persson, suggested that the seat should not be left vacant. The commission then passed a motion to continue the meeting to Tuesday.

Discussion continued about appointing Phillips to the role for the next two weeks.

But at Tuesday’s meeting, Larson suggested incoming Interim Town Manager Dave Bullock be asked to take on town-manager responsibilities after-hours with assistance from Phillips while finishing up his role with Sarasota County.

But Vice Mayor David Brenner disapproved of the suggestion.

“I’m strongly opposed to this motion,” he said. “It’s an unfair burden and we’re stretching him too thin.”
Commissioner Phill Younger said that the commission “didn’t go to this extent when Chief Hogle was sitting in this office.”

“It almost seems like it’s a questioning of her (Phillips’) capabilities, which Commissioner Larson certainly has the right to do,” Younger said.

“I’m insulted by that statement,” Larson said, noting that Hogle had filled in on multiple occasions for 14-year Town Manager Bruce St. Denis. “I think you should be apologizing for that statement.”

Commissioners passed a motion appointing Phillips to the role of acting town manager.

Phillips thanked the commission.

“Trust me that I will consult with Mr. Bullock quite often as I have in the past,” she said.

Pending issues
Hogle told the Longboat Observer that the issue surrounding Simpson was strictly an employee-management issue and he’s “frustrated.”

“It’s an unfortunate set of miscommunication between myself and the commission,” said Hogle, who explained the report performed at his request can’t be made public yet and shows that he was looking out for the best interest of 10 employees who reported verbal abuse by Simpson.

On Oct. 18, Phillips sent Simpson a letter withdrawing an offer made by Hogle of three months’ severance pay in exchange for her resignation. The letter states that Simpson, who was hired by the town in October 2001 and earns an annual salary of $104,520 per year, is now on paid administrative leave while the town completes an investigation that will be conducted by a non-town employee.

For now, Simpson can have “no role in the direction, valuation and or assignment of work of employees” of her department and can only contact town employees through Phillips.

Simpson, who attended Tuesday’s P&Z meeting, told the Longboat Observer that she was unable to comment on the situation.

“I’m still employed by the town of Longboat Key and I’m going to continue to work hard and do my best,” she said.

— Sarasota City Editor Kurt Schultheis contributed to this story.

VOGEL REPORT: 2011 TOWN SURVEY AND FOCUS GROUP

The following excerpts, released Aug. 10, are from a town of Longboat Key employee survey focus group report performed after the Town of Longboat Key 2011 Employee Survey. Heather Vogel, a consultant with the town, compiled this data from three days of employee focus groups, consisting of 28 employees from the Finance, Fire Rescue, Information Technology, Planning, Zoning and Building, Public Works and Town Clerk departments.

What does Bruce St. Denis need to do to be a more effective team leader?
• Recognize that employees have not seen a raise in years but have seen increase in benefit costs – employees have actually lost total compensation and still are expected to provide a high level of products and services in spite of that, very demoralizing.

• Circulate more around the departments so that he is not always seen as the “grim reaper.”

• Serve as a role model; true leadership begins at the top and can’t be bullied or swayed from the vision.

• Deal with conflict and own the problem; don’t keep sending me back to my department head who isn’t helping me fix the issue I have; listen to me.

• Make the department heads accountable; if they won’t, then replace them.

• Stick up for employees with the Town Commission:

• Rather than just saying no right away, put it in front of the TC and let them say no and take the heat

• Do something as a result of employee input; if you don’t, we won’t bother to share our opinion anymore.

What do the Department Heads need to do to be more effective team leaders?
• Come together as a team — stop the bickering, turf wars, talking badly about each other and employees.

• Ditch the micromanagement; trust and have faith in us, we can do our jobs!

• Get an attitude adjustment — we can’t be positive if you aren’t.

• Stop the separation of class or caste system; you’re making people afraid of you, which is not good for morale or productivity.

• Don’t make us pay for our own office supplies.

• Turn the lights back on (it’s saving very little and it looks weird to citizens)

• Cross-train employees so we can all pitch in without feeling ill-prepared or stressed.

• Demonstrate respect for employees.

• Treat each employee in department the same; be consistent in supervision.

• Don’t shout at employees, especially in front of others; “praise publicly and correct privately.”

• Don’t gossip about others or be a tattletale.

• Don’t jump to conclusions without knowing the whole story.

• Don’t command me; ask me.

• Say “thank you” and mean it.

• Provide me with regular ongoing feedback and an annual performance evaluation; develop goals with me and support me in achieving them.

• Get development in leadership and interpersonal skills, particularly anger management for some.

Click here to read the complete Town of Longboat Key 2011 Employee Survey and focus group report.

Click here to view a graphic of the greatest change in responses from the 2010 to 2011 survey.

Click here to read a former building official's assessment of Simpson.