 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
City official on firing: 'Balderdash'
By ANNE LINDBERG © St. Petersburg Times, published February 14, 2001 PINELLAS PARK -- With less than four months on the job, the city's risk management director was fired Friday after a female co-worker accused him of inappropriately touching her and creating a hostile work environment. Rob Zimmerman, 47, denied Tuesday he had acted inappropriately or done any of the things Pinellas Park officials accused him of. "All I know is I was accused of some things that categorically did not happen," Zimmerman said. Zimmerman said that the accusations and decision to fire him caught him by surprise and that officials gave him no chance to defend himself. He first found out about the situation when called into the office of Tom Owens, head of the personnel and Zimmerman's boss, about 8:30 Friday morning. Owens informed him of the allegations and then fired him, Zimmerman said. "I used words like "unbelievable,' "unfathomable,' "completely untrue,' "without merit'; and the accusations, I would say, are balderdash," Zimmerman said. "That was my first reaction." He added that Owens "would not answer any of my questions. . . . I was very disappointed in the leadership there and the decision that was made. I think it was wrong. . . . (It's) extremely difficult to defend against allegations such as these." Zimmerman said he was angry about the situation but only wanted to get on with his life. "I've never been accused of any inappropriateness in 35 years (in the work force)," he said. "I'm angry, but the reason I'm not going anywhere with this is I believe in God. I'm just wiping the dust off my feet and moving on. It's "he said, she said.' " Zimmerman had worked with Pinellas Park since Oct. 20. He was earning about $48,500 a year. City officials had little to say about the matter. "To comment further would create a potential liability for the city and would therefore be inappropriate," City Manager Jerry Mudd said Monday. Mudd explained that new employees serve a six-month probationary period. During that time, a city employee can be dismissed when officials determine the continued employement is "not in the best interests of the city." That's what happened to Zimmerman, the city manager said. Records were not readily available Monday or Tuesday. Zimmerman's firing is the latest in a string of personnel problems for the Pinellas Park government. Last year, three female police officers filed state and federal claims that they had been sexually harassed and discriminated against while on the job. Two of those officers, Donna Saxer and Cindy Martin, have filed federal lawsuits against the city. The third, Shirley Atherton Marsh, recently settled her claim against Pinellas Park for $35,000, a letter of reference and a position as a reserve police officer. Also last year, two male officers filed union grievances alleging they were victims of a "hit list" of officers targeted for dismissal based on their ages and willingness to speak out. An investigation into those allegations found there was no written hit list. Most recently, Capt. Robert Hempel, one of the three highest-ranking officers in the Police Department, was placed on paid administrative leave while the Sheriff's Office investigates allegations that he used his private computer on city time and business. That investigation is ongoing. Zimmerman's predecessor, Jim Johnson, resigned and retired last August during an internal investigation into the identity of the person who made hundreds of calls to a dating service. He had worked for the city for 12 years. The calls, totaling about 69 hours of working time, were made on an extension in Johnson's office. There were more than 500 calls to two Tampa-area dating services and another 63 calls to a home in the Citrus County community of Beverly Hills. Other calls were made from the city phones on weekends. More than half the time logged on that city extension during the past year was spent calling those three numbers, officials concluded at the time. They estimated it cost Pinellas Park a little more than $2,500 between lost working time and the price of the calls. Johnson denied that the investigation into the calls prompted his decision to retire. Owens, the supervisor for both Johnson and Zimmerman, who conducted part of the investigation, said there was no evidence to prove Johnson made those calls. Owens paid the $165 out of his own pocket to reimburse the city for the cost of the calls.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
From the Times South Pinellas desks |
