The county attorney's husband criticizes the notion that Acton doesn't work hard enough.
By BILL VARIAN
Published August 19, 2003
TAMPA - The husband of embattled Hillsborough County Attorney Emmy Acton said Monday that a report on activities in her office released last week is inaccurate and the methods used to produce it were lacking.
Michael Maher, a forensic psychiatrist, said his comments were made after consultation with his wife, who is out of town.
"It's clear that there are many, many factual inaccuracies in the information contained in the survey," Maher said. "And the procedures used to complete the report were entirely inadequate and should not be used for any county purpose." He declined to provide specifics.
The report, released Friday by consultant KPMG, primarily revealed that Acton may have taken more than 182 hours of leave time in the past three years that she did not have available to her. The hours disclosed were on top of what Acton disclosed herself that she had failed to report since late last year.
Allegations that Acton wasn't reporting all of her sick and vacation time surfaced with a host of initially anonymous complaints emanating from her office in April. Other allegations related to hostile workplace complaints and accusations that she improperly used an office fund.
The KPMG report, commissioned in response to the allegations, fails to draw conclusions about any of the allegations, which has led some Hillsborough County commissioners already to dismiss it. Rather, it serves mainly as a compendium of allegations against Acton in both an anonymous survey and through interviews with employees in the office, but confirms or refutes few of the claims.
It notes that commissioners refused to provide the consultant an additional $45,000 - on top of the $60,000 it was already guaranteed - it had sought to complete the report when the breadth of the allegations widened. And so KPMG labeled its work "preliminary and tentative."
Acton has been on medical disability leave since May due to worsening illness related to her diabetes. She is traveling to New York hoping to review treatment options, Maher said.
It was clear Maher and Acton are particularly upset with insinuations in the report that she didn't work hard enough. Maher said he has been working with his sons to document, partly through cellular phone records, how much Acton worked while out of the office sick.
"I know how much she works," Maher said. "I'm the one who's seen Emmy's health destroyed by seeing her work her fingers to the bone. It's a little hard for me to be gentle about accusations that she doesn't work hard enough."
In a related matter, Acton sent a memo to Hillsborough Commission Chairman Tom Scott aimed to alleviate concerns about her intentions when she returns from sick leave. She previously had informed commissioners in writing that she wants to hire a consultant to help her address "transitional issues," which were not defined.
This has spurred concerns in her office, and from at least one commissioner, that she is planning retribution against people who have made allegations against her.
Acton said she is merely looking for help to address some of the issues that have arisen to see what if any changes can be made to make the office work effectively.
"My use of the phrase "transitional issues' has been incorrectly characterized as a plan to implement retaliatory firings in the office," Acton wrote. "My intent is, as I have said before, to obtain consultation and assistance regarding changes and problems. I have never and will never initiate action or support or allow a policy or practice which is harassing or retaliatory."
