Advertisement Some town employees say Paul Kitzmann has created a hostile work environment at Onalaska Town Hall. The issue came to a head Tuesday when the town’s longtime secretary Peg Hanson quit suddenly and the town board met in a hastily called meeting some are calling illegal.
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Onalaska Town Administrator Paul Kitzmann is accused of creating a hostile environment at Town Hall, an accusation that he says is false.
Photo by Jo Anne Killeen |
Kitzmann’s hiring in late December drew fire from some in the community, including former Town Chairman Dave Paudler. Incumbent Town Chairman Stan Hauser faces a challenge from Paudler in his first re-election bid. If Paudler is elected, Kitzmann could face a challenge, too.
“I truly believe he is not qualified,” Paudler said. “If I’m elected and become town chair, he’ll have to prove he is qualified by completing assigned tasks and doing town business. He’ll have to prove himself that he can do things in a professional manner.”
Hanson declinec to comment about her resignation. But Town Clerk Sue Schultz said Kitzmann has sent harassing e-mails to both Hanson and to her, making accusations and demanding responses in writing. Schultz also said Kitzmann took her laptop home and is retyping town board minutes.
Kitzmann said he didn’t think any of the e-mails were hostile. He said anyone could read them and they would agree they were “polite and professional.”
The Courier-Life obtained a copy of one e-mail Kitzmann sent to Hanson on March 13. While he starts out by saying he is not accusing Hanson of anything or finger pointing, Kitzmann enumerated 15 issues that range from where Hanson may keep her radio to asking why she destroyed a defunct town laptop (before he was hired). He also accused her of going through and disposing of papers from the prior administrator’s files, complained of “outright rude behavior” of interrupting him and listening in on his conversations.
Kitzmann also said that “it is completely inappropriate to open anyone else’s mail, etc. So from now on, I have no choice but to be the only one that gets the mail at all times starting immediately. ... I have never heard of any office setting where someone opens another’s mail, especially without their permission.”
Schultz said she also received “harassing” e-mails and has had her job responsibilities stripped by Kitzmann. “He’s changed what I do,” Schultz said. “I can’t do certain things now. When people come for dog licenses or permits, he told me I can’t handle money; even though I am bonded. Now I have to tell people I cannot take your money. Many clerks in other towns handle money. We’re all bonded.”
That could be a problem with Hanson now gone and Kitzmann often out of the office. Hanson’s departure had everything to do with Kitzmann, Schultz said.
“It’s become a hostile environment,” Schultz said. “She said she can’t take this harassment. Peg has worked for the town for 12 years. She’s never had a problem until Kitzmann got there.”
Schultz said Kitzmann has sent harassing e-mails to Hanson and her, which he expects to be answered in writing.
“I refuse to e-mail the answers,” Schultz said. “He is saying everything has to be in writing. That is unprofessional and poor management.”
Tensions came to a head this past weekend when Kitzmann took Schultz’s laptop computer home with him over the weekend, saying he didn’t think she typed the minutes up correctly and he wanted to hear the audio playback.
“He’s redoing the minutes,” Schultz said. “He changes some of the wording. He doesn’t change anything factually, just wording. Where I wrote, ‘the board adjourned the meeting at 8:15’ he re-wrote it to say “the meeting was adjourned at 8:15,’ stuff like that,” Schultz said. “Then he signs them as his minutes.
“It’s a big can of worms,” Schultz continued. “It’s my word against his.”
Kitzmann would not answer questions from the Courier Life about why he had the laptop computer at his home over the weekend, stating he had to ask the town attorney what can be divulged.
Paudler is concerned about the hostile atmosphere in the town hall.
“There’s always two sides to every story,” he said. “They all sit 10 feet apart from each other. They don’t speak, they e-mail each other. E-mail: It’s a tool, but it’s the wrong tool to use.”
Board meeting questioned
Paudler, along with Supervisor Howard Kelly and supervisor candidates Steve Michaels and Marc Schultz, objected to Kitzmann’s handling of the hastily called board meeting Tuesday night.
“It was illegal,” Paudler said. “It was not posted what it was for and who needed to be present. The meeting shouldn’t have been held. None of the media was notified and that should be done.”
“So many laws have been broken by our town chair, it’s sad,” said Michaels.
A group of citizens including Paudler, Marc Schultz and Michaels said they will contact the district attorney’s office about the possible violations.
Kitzmann passed on taking responsibility for the manner of posting by saying he asked Hauser if the media should be notified and Hauser told him it wasn’t necessary.
Hauser said the meeting was posted legally but he thought Kitzmann would notify the media “out of courtesy.”
Schultz said she was not aware there would be a meeting until she was requested to be there. As far as she knew, she was there to take minutes. “But how do I know? I’ve not been given any information,” she said.
It turned out she was one of the subjects of the meeting.
Both Kelly and Schultz said the meeting was adjourned because they refused to participate because it was an illegal meeting. When they left, Hauser followed them out and locked the door behind them, continuing to confer with the remaining board members and Kitzmann. Soon thereafter, Booth left, but the door still remained locked.
Schultz said Kitzmann made copies of some of her deleted e-mails and gave them to board members Tuesday. Schultz didn’t see the copies but said she believes they were messages she sent to Kelly about working conditions at town hall. He did not provide the copies to Kelly or Schultz.
After the meeting, Hauser said he had not had a chance to speak with Hanson about her resignation. “My relationship with her has been a good one. I’ve had no problems at all with Peg.”
Hauser declined to discuss the subject of the closed session citing personnel confidentiality. When asked why a meeting was called so quickly, Hauser said “it is something that needed to be addressed right away. There will probably be another closed session meeting about it.”
Kitzmann said he would be calling the sheriff’s office and the town’s attorney regarding what was discussed in the meeting.
“Right now I don’t understand what’s going on ... but something is fishy,” Paudler said. “This isn’t normal.”
KITZMANN RESPONSE
Onalaska Town Administrator Paul Kitzmann responded to an e-mail request for his perspective on the developments this week at Onalaska Town Hall too late to include his comments in the paper edition of the Onalaska Holmen Courier-Life. They are given here verbatim:
In regards to a supposed hostile work environment:
This is a very challenging question to answer when there are some serious personnel matters that do not allow me at this time to discuss the whole situation and include all the facts & evidence. I cannot properly respond to, or answer this question when both of my hands are tied behind my back. Is this fair?
The facts and evidence support that there have been, and are public records that have been altered, and some that have been destroyed. This is very serious and an investigation is being performed where the authorities will be called in. Additionally, the facts and evidence prove that important information at times has been, and is being, withheld from me as Administrator attempting to prevent me from doing my job. The facts and evidence also support that there is important information that has been withheld from the majority of the Town board and chairman for quite some time. This clearly affects them also so that they cannot do their job properly.
To my knowledge there are no public records that prove the board voted to get rid of Sue's job as clerk. Yet, for months we continue to hear this mantra. It only stands to reason when one is paranoid about losing their job that they can easily perceive anything as "hostile". Where however, is the evidence provided in supporting such allegations such as these? The imagination runs wild. In all actions with everyone in the Town I treat everyone with politeness, fairness and respect. There is more that could be said, but again at this time due to personnel reasons I cannot. If Sue puts in writing and authorizes the emails to (and from her) herself can then be opened as a public record AND after the Town lawyer reviews the legalities of this and her signed written statement, these emails (along with other emails & facts), I believe any person that reads the emails in all honesty will see that there is no hostility whatsoever, but that someone is misrepresenting and spinning the facts into a frenzy attempting to keep their job which they fear may be combined with the Administrator's. It is only common sense why the Administrator is being falsely accused of such nonsense.
In regards to the closed session regarding the Town clerk and assessor -these personnel matters cannot unfortunately be discussed at this time. There is important evidence here too that clearly proves that there is no hostility on my part; however, this cannot be discussed until legally it is appropriate.
I sincerely hope that this matter is kept in perspective and the article(s) is based upon only solid fact, evidence, and truth.
Thank you.
Paul
ht bast wrote on Mar 26, 2009 9:18 AM: