ANOTHER CITY LAWSUIT!!! WHEN WILL IT END????

Supervisor counseled over racist email
BY ELGIN JONES
WILTON MANORS – Ann Barnes, 60, the assistant director of the city of Wilton Manors Community Services Department, has received a verbal counseling after sending an email titled, ‘Proud to be White; Someone finally said it,’ to friends and co-workers from a city email account, on her city computer.

“The Proud to Be White” email is laced with derogatory characterizations and stereotypical slights of blacks, Asians, Jews, Hispanics, Arabs, Native- Americans, and other ethic groups. In an unrelated series of incidents, Barnes has also been placed on paid administrative leave from her $87,360 a year job following a racial discrimination complaint that was filed against her by the only black employee in her department.

“Everyone in the United States has privileges except the White race. They are the majority that made the U.S. what it is,” the email proclaims. “Now look what it has become!”

“This email is not putting anyone down. It’s a desperate attempt to keep what we have earned, not been given. I’ve passed this on, now please do your part,” it urges.

The May 6, 2008 communication was sent to several persons, including citizens and current and former elected officials in Broward.

At least one person reacted to the email with outrage.

City employee Chris Cooper forwarded it to supervisors with the remark, “I think this is very inappropriate!”

Even in the face of such complaints, apparently no action was taken until the South Florida Times began asking questions.

“You rob us, carjack us, and shoot at us. But, when a white police officer shoots a black gang member or beats up a black drug-dealer who is running from the LAW and posing a threat to ALL of society…You call him racist.”

“I am proud. …But you call me a racist,” the email continues.
With its rustic theme and pictures of white men clad in western attire sitting atop horses, the email also includes a photo of the late actor John Wayne positioned in front of an American flag, asking,
“Now just why in the HELL do I have to press ‘1’ for English.”

The email uses the N-word to describe blacks, the K-word for Jews, and a litany of other insulting terms when referring to other minority groups.

CONFLICTING DATES

During a June 16 meeting of city department heads, human resources manager Dio Sanchez questioned Barnes’ supervisor, Wayne Thies, about the lack of consequences regarding the email.

City manager Joseph Gallegos then directed Thies to document the issue with a counseling memo that would be issued to Barnes.

Sanchez apparently forwarded a City of Wilton Manors employee counseling memo form to Thies on the same day, some time following the meeting.

“Wayne [Thies], Attached is the counseling memo form you requested during our meeting today,” Sanchez wrote in the June 16 email to Thies at 3:32 PM. “This is the form to be used to document the issues with Ann Barnes and Bill Banks, Sr.” [a Wilton Manors employee from a different department], it reads.

“Thank you,” Thies replied in an email sent just minutes later.

The completed form is stamped with the date ‘July 7, 2008,’ verifying when it was received in the Human Resources department. Barnes’ signature is dated July 7, but Thies’ signature is dated June 3, – 13 days prior to the city manager’s directive and Thies’ receipt of the form.

“I discussed it with her when it happened and I made out the form on June 3 when I discussed it with her,” Thies explained when reached at his office about the conflicting dates.

Calls to Human Resources Department manager Sanchez regarding the form’s content were directed to James A. Cheroff, an attorney representing the city. Cheroff did not respond to repeated calls or messages left at his office.

SUSPENDED WITH PAY

It has been learned that on July 7, the same date that Barnes was issued the counseling, she was also escorted from her office and placed on paid administrative leave regarding the racial discrimination complaint.

The complaint was filed by Lisa Wiggins, a 37-year-old Deerfield Beach woman who has worked as a technician with the city for less than six months. She is also the only black worker in the department.

Gallegos acknowledged he moved to suspend Barnes after the city was served notice of the racial discrimination and harassment complaint filed with the Broward County Human Rights Division.

The complaint alleges mistreatment, a hostile work environment, harassment and racial discrimination. It also claims that Barnes and another employee, Melissa Cole, yelled at, insulted, and refused to train Wiggins for the jobs she was required to perform.

When asked if any action had been taken in regards to Cole, who is also named in the complaint, Gallegos said, “Not at this time, but obviously she is very much on the list as one of the persons to be interviewed, and I can tell that book is not closed.”

Thies would not discuss the complaint, which also alleges that he ignored concerns of possible mistreatment raised by Wiggins; and that he, Cole and Barnes stopped speaking or communicating with her after the complaint was filed.

When informed during a meeting that Wiggins’ position was being cut, Thies is quoted as saying to Sanchez, “Good. That takes care of my problem.”

The complaint was then amended to include allegations of retaliation. Wiggins has since been reassigned until the investigation is completed.

“She is still with the city and is working as a very productive employee in the Leisure Services Department,” Gallegos said.

Citing the confidential nature of the complaint process, Wiggins declined to be interviewed for this story.

Barnes said she was not in a position to discuss the email or the allegations made in the complaint, either.

“I can’t talk to you, because we have a city policy that does not allow me to talk to you,” Barnes explained when contacted at home.

“I’m not prepared to discuss that at this time,” she said when asked if she was being represented by an attorney.

Mayor Scott Newton participated in some of the meetings regarding the issues. Through an assistant, he declined to comment until the investigation is completed.

A review of Barnes’ personnel file shows her tenure with the city has not been spotless.

Hired on Nov. 11, 1979, Barnes has more than 28 years on the job. In an Aug. 6, 2004 performance evaluation, she received a blistering, five page critique of her work and job performance.

“This employee has continuously neglected assigned duties to engage in activities to discredit the Director and other personnel,” wrote Harold Horne, her former supervisor and director of the Community Service Department, who has since retired.

“You continue to engage in divisive and insubordinate activities while your assigned duties are neglected,” Horne wrote, while detailing incidents of what he termed as insubordination, use of profanity, and yelling at him and others, including allegations of Barnes making false statements and providing erroneous information.

In addition to her work at the city of Wilton Manors, Barnes is the chairperson for the Florida Association of Business Tax Officials, Inc. (FABTO); an organization of tax officials employed with public agencies from around the state.

No one from the organization would comment on the email or Barnes’ suspension, including what, if any, impact it would have on her role as chairperson of its board of directors.

EJones@SFLTimes.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Last Updated ( Friday, 25 July 2008 )

This whole thing is F##### UNBELIEVEABLE. The idiot city manger Gellegos was ONLY going to COUNSEL her for the numerous racial remarks ANN said. City staffers and city council have known for years how Ann feels about minorities but looked the other way. And now they tried to sweep this little mess under the rug. NOT this time. They may have to raise taxes to pay this lawsiut when it is over and done with.

This whole thing is F##### UNBELIEVEABLE. The idiot city manger Gellegos was ONLY going to COUNSEL her for the numerous racial remarks ANN said. City staffers and city council have known for years how Ann feels about minorities but looked the other way. And now they tried to sweep this little mess under the rug. NOT this time. They may have to raise taxes to pay this lawsiut when it is over and done with.

Did anyone ever wonder why Ann's Department never had any afro americans working in it :?: Seems that HR should have some expaining to do. That is if the director is not away spending our future retirement funds on pension trips. Lots of them.Is she ever in? And coles is queen of the chain smokin rednecks.

MEMO TO WILTON MANORS VOTERS AND TAXPAYERS-YOU NEED TO CLEAN HOUSE NOW STARTING AT THE TOP WITH THE CITY MANAGER, MAYOR SCOTT NEWTON, CITY COUNCILORS AND DEPARTMENT DIRECTORS. THINGS HAVE GOTTEN OUT OF CONTROL IN THE PAST YEAR WITH THREATS AND INTIMIDATION DIRECTED TOWARDS CITY STAFF AND EMPLOYEES.

This whole thing is F##### UNBELIEVEABLE. The idiot city manger Gellegos was ONLY going to COUNSEL her for the numerous racial remarks ANN said. City staffers and city council have known for years how Ann feels about minorities but looked the other way. And now they tried to sweep this little mess under the rug. NOT this time. They may have to raise taxes to pay this lawsiut when it is over and done with.

Seems to me this is on the equal scale of a hate crime which is a felony. And all the city manager Joseph Gellagos wants her to do is fill out a form? Is that disipline.Any professional city manager with an ethical background would have suspended her right on the spot and began an internal investigation. By trying to cover this up with a slap on the wrist, he is almost condoning what she did. That is terrible to say the least. Doesn't he care about the minorities that work and live in wilton manors. And with a last name of Gellagos I assume he is hispanic himself. That is bizarre. I have only lived in the city for 8 months but how long has he Gellagos been in charge of city matters?

All I can say is she hated people with the surnames of Sanchez, Perez and Gallegos among other. She hated when the cuban maitenance girl would come around to clean. And coles and banks sr. were right there with Ann leading the charge. The groups hatred of gallegos intensified even more when he stepped in for Harold Horne when he left a couple of years ago.Birds of a feather flock together. And the city administration would not intervene because they were all on Scott Newtons BUDDIES list. Well now the cat is out of the bag on this group.

This whole thing is F##### UNBELIEVEABLE. The idiot city manger Gellegos was ONLY going to COUNSEL her for the numerous racial remarks ANN said. City staffers and city council have known for years how Ann feels about minorities but looked the other way. And now they tried to sweep this little mess under the rug. NOT this time. They may have to raise taxes to pay this lawsiut when it is over and done with.

Seems to me this is on the equal scale of a hate crime which is a felony. And all the city manager Joseph Gellagos wants her to do is fill out a form? Is that disipline.Any professional city manager with an ethical background would have suspended her right on the spot and began an internal investigation. By trying to cover this up with a slap on the wrist, he is almost condoning what she did. That is terrible to say the least. Doesn't he care about the minorities that work and live in wilton manors. And with a last name of Gellagos I assume he is hispanic himself. That is bizarre. I have only lived in the city for 8 months but how long has he Gellagos been in charge of city matters?

You cannot use the words like ethics, professional when talking about Joe Gallegos ( not Gellagos) because he has neither quality which is a necessity in a city manager that balances the needs of a employee against the needs of a council. He is controlled by the city council which run the city departments which violates every rule of the city charter. When the going gets tough, Joe Gallegos buries his head in the sand and waits for the smoke to clear before making a decision if he makes one at all. What kind of message do you think that it sends to the employees. It is a leaderless ship without any direction. He did not even attend one contract session with the pd. What do you think we think of him. being labeled a spineless city leader would be a compliment.The tail truly wags the dog in wilton manors. What ann barnes did truly bears this fact out.

How can you keep a person like Ann Barnes as a asst city director when she gets a evaluation from her supervisor ( I presume is a dept director)which indicates as a at will employee, she should have been terminated for not performing her duties. In private industry, she would have had her bags packed and desk empty within 2 hours of getting that performance review. That is why public salaries need to be reduced and pensions be done away with so public employees should not feel like they have a job for life. SHAME on you city administrater joe gellagos and mayor scott newton. You have committed and huge diservice to the citizens of wilton manors by keeping this racist on the payroll.

People are missing the most important point. With Ann Barnes gone, who will plan the City Holiday Party. Come on people lets get our priorities together. Maybe we can get Al Sharpton down to be the guest speaker. That would be a HOOT.................................

People in wilton manors need to see what a redneck Kiwanis Club wilton manors has. coles , banks sr , scott newton and j gallegos have been members and leaders of the organization for years. How many people of color belong to it. They make a exception to the club rules when the cuban police chief rodriquez is invited to appear. They have a couple of tokens as members but that club is quite limited. And to think the city is in partnership with the kiwanis to produce the town crier. People need to wake up and see how minorities are kept back as a rule, both by city and kiwanis leadership.