Chief Human Resource Officer Ed Sisson claimed that Deputy Fire Chief Joe Glover publicly demeaned him during the Firefighters Annual Awards ceremony
Beggs & Lane attorney Russell Van Sickle wrote on the complaint: “The gist of the comments alleged were that Glover, while at the microphone, made a speech about how some people will snub and not recognize the Fire Department, and that the Fire Department was not going to wait for permission to honor their own, ending with a comment that he would drop the microphone if he owned it (“dropping the mic†is a pop culture phrase or act referencing an emphatic end to a speech; i.e., everything that needs to be said has just been said so the speaker drops the mic to the ground and exits). Sisson, who was present, took the remarks as aimed at him.”
Glover told he made the remarks along these lines. In part, he was referring to Sisson not selecting firefighters for City Employee of the Month. The deputy fire chief also said the his remarks were not limited to Sisson and referred also to the public not honoring firefighters, as well.
Van Sickle said the remark was “an example of Glover’s poor judgment and an indication of the level of anger or contempt Glover directed toward Sisson.”
But he had added, “However, Glover did not mention Sisson by name and nothing further came out of those remarks.”
This complaint should never have been sent to a $300/hour attorney to investigate. If Sisson was offended by the remarks, he should have discussed with his boss, City Administrator Eric Olson.
Olson could have asked the same questions of Glover and Sisson as the attorney and decided if any verbal or written reprimand was necessary. As the administrator over PFD and HR, Olson should have worked to resolve any issues between Glover and Sisson – what Van Sickle referred to as “level of anger or contempt Glover directed toward Sisson”.
This is Management 101. Most times, the conflicts are due to miscommunications, faulty processes or issues with written procedures. The attorney did not interview Olson about this matter and offered no remedies.