In 2014, a city department head called Mayor Ashton Hayward names and was found to have hired staff without going through the proper protocol and procedure. How did the city handle those “violations of insubordination?”
Earlier this year, Mayor Hayward placed his fire chief and deputy fire chief on paid administrative leave while the Beggs & Lane attorney Russell Van Sickle investigated them. The allegation that triggered the investigation was Chief Human Resource Officer Ed Sisson complained Fire Chief Matt Schmitt and Deputy Fire Chief Joe Glover failed to follow “normal hiring protocol for the January 2016 hiring round for new firefighters.â€
Also among the other five complaints filed by Sisson was he felt Glover had publicly demeaned him during the Firefighters Annual Awards ceremony.
Mayor Hayward chose not to follow the disciplinary procedures established in the HR manual. Instead, he called for an investigation and later fired the chiefs.
However, two years ago, Mayor Hayward took another approach with Neighborhood Services Director Brian Cooper, even though he was directly impacted by Cooper’s actions.
On Aug. 8, 2014, Sisson sent Cooper a written reprimand that outlined the undesirable behavior Cooper committed. The letter was place in his personnel file. The reprimand was the results of Cooper’s actions on Aug. 7, 2014 and the discovery that he had hired staff without going through the proper protocol and procedure. According to Sisson’s letter, Cooper had been counseled verbally in past for not following the city’s hiring protocol.
Sisson wrote: “Specially, you were found to have completed the following undesirable behaviors:
* When speaking to the Mayor you addressed him publicly with a derogatory term
* After being counseled verbally in the past as to the protocol to follow when filling certain vacancies, you continued to operate outside of the prior discussed parameters.
* Behavior that is becoming of a City Official.
Read Cooper_Personnel_File.
Mayor Hayward has treated two of his department leaders differently for similar alleged violations.
Cooper insulted the Mayor. Deputy Chief Glover made a remark that Sisson believed demeaned him, without naming him. Cooper got a written reprimand. Glover was put on leave, investigated and fired.
Cooper failed to follow hiring protocol and procedure multiple times. Chief Schmitt decided to forego peer interviews once. Cooper first got verbal counseling, then later a written reprimand. Schmitt and Glover were put on leave, investigated and fired.
In 2015, Cooper and Schmitt requested pay raises. Cooper received a raise. Schmitt’s request was denied.
Schmitt has filed a lawsuit against the City of Pensacola, Hayward, Sisson and City Administrator Eric Olson.
