Ex-official: I'm guilty of doing my job
Roxye Arellano
Former Evans finance director Janet Whittet thinks she was fired because she raised questions about the city's massive water rates increase in 2004.
But Evans city officials say nothing could be further from the truth.
Whittet claims she raised concerns about the city budget and its water rate increase.
"That's an absolute lie," City Manager Bruce Eisenhauer said last week. "She never brought anything to my attention."
Eisenhauer refused to say why Whittet was fired, citing state privacy laws regarding personnel matters.
Evans City Council voted 6-1 to fire Whittet. Councilman David James voted against the termination but could not be reached for comment.
At the same meeting, the council voted to increase the water rate structure.
Whittet, who was a finance director for 20 years, said she can only speculate on why she was fired because she was never offered a valid reason.
"I was never reprimanded for anything," she said. "Any concerns about how I handled people or interactions with fellow employees were not mentioned in my evaluation."
Whittet provided a copy of her last employee performance appraisal and development record, dated Jan. 26. In it, she was rated high in all areas.
It states in part: "Jan, you demonstrate commitment to your department and the organization. You understand the finance department operations well and can articulate these operations to others."
About her attitude, the review states: "You are respectful to others and take steps to clarify the information presented to them. You publicly portray a positive attitude regarding this organization."
The review notes that she "generally works well with others" and that she is "generally courteous and tactful when dealing with people."
At the May 18 meeting, the council was given a confidential memo by Eisenhauer saying her termination had to do with unprofessional conduct among staff members. Whittet was not given a copy of the memo because it protected the rights of the others involved.
"If my personality was so serious of a concern," Whittet said, "why was it never brought to my attention?"
The same question was raised by councilman Jeff Kelley. According to tapes of the May 18 meeting, Kelley asked why there was not previous notice or disciplinary action against Whittet.
Eisenhauer answered that employees' performance evaluations are part of their personnel record, which is not open to the public, but said the request for termination was "related to unprofessional conduct …"
Whittet then asked whether a personnel review could be released if the employee authorized it, but Eisenhauer said the subject of the executive session was to determine the termination of an employee and not to discuss past performance or issues within her personnel file.
Whittet responded: "So Jeff's question isn't valid why I was never told of your concerns prior to now?"
Mayor Harold Weisberg said last week in a written statement that he heard about the pending termination two to three weeks before the May 18 meeting.
"But this is a personnel issue and is handled by the city manager," he said in a telephone interview.
Councilman Gregg Rhoads said last week he was not notified of any water or budget problems but knew council and city staff were working on the water rate structure several months before he was elected. Rhoads and other council members refused to comment on the firing.
Whittet questions the timing of her firing. She alleges that Eisenhauer waited until after the April election, when Weisberg and three other council members were elected.
"I had access to everything," Whittet said. "And anything that relates to money in the city. I also had the responsibility to make sure the money was spent correctly. He specifically waited until the old council was gone in order to bring up concerns about the finance director."
Whittet said she expected Evans officials would accuse her now of being difficult to work with, but she maintains that's not why she was fired.
"I'm guilty of doing my job," she said. "I'm gone because I became a liability."
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