Well, here you go!
Showing posts with label Patricia Workman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Patricia Workman. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Volume 3 Edition 13
Much like the Royal baby, this issue was expected a few days ago but some things aren't ready until they're ready. The issue was revised at the last minute to accommodate late breaking stories that you won't read anywhere else. We know you don't want to wait until next month. Do you?
Well, here you go!
Well, here you go!
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Quartzsite Town attorney files grievance over termination
Read the document here
In a tell all and sometimes fanciful recounting of the last year and a half, Quartzsite Town Attorney Martin Brannan has filed a complaint with the Arizona Personnel Board. He is basically alleging a hostile work environment, that ironically, he helped to create, and mental anguish related to a preexisting 50% disability for "post traumatic stress disorder".
Brannan states that he was too mentally ill to attend his own hearing before the Quartzsite Town Council, and despite he and his wife being well compensated as town employees he could not afford treatment. According to Brannans claim, “Dr. Franklin ordered me to go to the emergency room for an immediate psych evaluation as I had exceeded his ability to be of assistance… Not being able to afford the $250 co-pay for the local emergency room …I sent an email to Bruno explaining that I was not well.”
Brannan is demanding severance pay, and will likely pursue civil damages, however, A.R.S. Section A.R.S. § 12-2202 requires that “Persons who are of unsound mind at the time they are called to testify shall not be witnesses in a civil action.” Likewise, Rule 35(a) of Arizona Civil Procedure states, “When the mental or physical condition (including the blood group) of a party [...] is in controversy, the court in which the action is pending may order the party to submit to a physical or mental examination by a physician or psychologist or to produce for examination the person in the party’s custody or legal control. The order may be made only on motion for good cause shown and upon notice to the person to be examined and to all parties and shall specify the time, place, manner, conditions, and scope of the examination and the person or persons by whom it is to be made.” It is not known if there are similar requirments for the Arizona State Personnel Board, or if any “testimony” Brannon gives in this matter or any other is even admissable.
He is demanding the following relief from the AZ Personnel Board:
1) That the State Personnel Board enjoins the Town of Quartzsite from terminating me with cause.
2) That the State Personnel Board orders the Town of Quartzsite to change the termination to a without cause termination and pay the severance owed as a result thereof.
3) That the State Personnel Board orders Laura Bruno to pay a civil penalty of up to five thousand dollars to the Town of Quartzsite general fund to be paid by Laura Bruno, not the Town of Quartzsite.
4) That the State Personnel Board finds that Laura Bruno committed a prohibited personnel practice against Complainant, who disclosed information that Complainant reasonably believed evidenced a violation of any law.
5) That the State Personnel Board orders Laura Bruno to pay a civil penalty of up to ten thousand dollars.
6) That the State Personnel Board orders the Town of Quartzsite to dismiss Laura Bruno.
7) That the State Personnel Board bars Laura Bruno from any future employment by the Town of Quartzsite.
Brannan's contract was terminated on October 30th, "with cause" for the following reasons:
1. Violation of the Rules of Professional Conduct for Attorneys in the State of Arizona, including a conflict of interest in violation of Ethical Rule 1.7(a). You gave advice to Council of the Town Quartzsite regarding personnel matters then initiated legal action against advised Council members for failure to follow advice.
2. Material Misrepresentation to Town Council and Violation of Town Procurement Code. Stating to Council on March 27, 2012 that there would be no authorization to use town funds in connection with a voter fraud investigation; You later claimed that you had authority to hire Mr. Humphreys to perform an investigation without approval of the Council for the expenditure and incurred expenses in excess of $8,000 on behalf of the Town without authorization from Town Council, in violation of Town Code Section 3-401H.
3. Attempted and actual abandonment of your position; Seeking to abandon your position by repeatedly requesting notice of constructive discharge from acting Town Manager Frausto; Abandoning your position by packing your belongings and not returning to work.
4. Intimidation of Acting town Manager and coercion to acquire her signature on a document purporting to recuse herself in regards to personnel matters.
5. Acting in violation of your duties of loyalty.
Brannan states that he was hired because "the Town was looking for a “hard-ass” town attorney", and that he "was advised the town was factionalized, but this was something of an understatement". According to Brannan, the recently released DPS report "provided information from which a reasonably prudent person could conclude that Gilbert did misuse the NCIC and ACJIS and did tamper with a witness. The Town was asked, however, to hold on to the information while it was reviewed by the AMRRP attorneys defending the federal lawsuit involving the seven employees, so no action was taken immediately upon receipt of the report." He claims the charge of witness tampering is being reconsidered for prosecution by the Attorney General's Office and discusses the reason that Gilbert and Sgt. Fabiola Garcia were put on administrative leave this summer, "Gilbert and one of his sergeants, a female with whom he appears to be romantically, or at the very least, inappropriately involved, had conspired to submit a time card for the charge which stated that she had worked nine hours and taken one vacation hour on a day when the Town knew that the sergeant was only in Quartzsite available to work for no more than six hours." This charge was subsequently stated by the town to be unsubstantiated and Garcia returned to work with QPD.
Brannan also claims that Councilman Mark Orgeron orchestrated open meeting violations, and that Orgeron's choice for "Interim Town Manager", CASA pension schemer Laura Bruno intimidated town employees, and engaged in prohibited personnel practices.
In a tell all and sometimes fanciful recounting of the last year and a half, Quartzsite Town Attorney Martin Brannan has filed a complaint with the Arizona Personnel Board. He is basically alleging a hostile work environment, that ironically, he helped to create, and mental anguish related to a preexisting 50% disability for "post traumatic stress disorder".
Brannan states that he was too mentally ill to attend his own hearing before the Quartzsite Town Council, and despite he and his wife being well compensated as town employees he could not afford treatment. According to Brannans claim, “Dr. Franklin ordered me to go to the emergency room for an immediate psych evaluation as I had exceeded his ability to be of assistance… Not being able to afford the $250 co-pay for the local emergency room …I sent an email to Bruno explaining that I was not well.”
Brannan is demanding severance pay, and will likely pursue civil damages, however, A.R.S. Section A.R.S. § 12-2202 requires that “Persons who are of unsound mind at the time they are called to testify shall not be witnesses in a civil action.” Likewise, Rule 35(a) of Arizona Civil Procedure states, “When the mental or physical condition (including the blood group) of a party [...] is in controversy, the court in which the action is pending may order the party to submit to a physical or mental examination by a physician or psychologist or to produce for examination the person in the party’s custody or legal control. The order may be made only on motion for good cause shown and upon notice to the person to be examined and to all parties and shall specify the time, place, manner, conditions, and scope of the examination and the person or persons by whom it is to be made.” It is not known if there are similar requirments for the Arizona State Personnel Board, or if any “testimony” Brannon gives in this matter or any other is even admissable.
He is demanding the following relief from the AZ Personnel Board:
1) That the State Personnel Board enjoins the Town of Quartzsite from terminating me with cause.
2) That the State Personnel Board orders the Town of Quartzsite to change the termination to a without cause termination and pay the severance owed as a result thereof.
3) That the State Personnel Board orders Laura Bruno to pay a civil penalty of up to five thousand dollars to the Town of Quartzsite general fund to be paid by Laura Bruno, not the Town of Quartzsite.
4) That the State Personnel Board finds that Laura Bruno committed a prohibited personnel practice against Complainant, who disclosed information that Complainant reasonably believed evidenced a violation of any law.
5) That the State Personnel Board orders Laura Bruno to pay a civil penalty of up to ten thousand dollars.
6) That the State Personnel Board orders the Town of Quartzsite to dismiss Laura Bruno.
7) That the State Personnel Board bars Laura Bruno from any future employment by the Town of Quartzsite.
Brannan's contract was terminated on October 30th, "with cause" for the following reasons:
1. Violation of the Rules of Professional Conduct for Attorneys in the State of Arizona, including a conflict of interest in violation of Ethical Rule 1.7(a). You gave advice to Council of the Town Quartzsite regarding personnel matters then initiated legal action against advised Council members for failure to follow advice.
2. Material Misrepresentation to Town Council and Violation of Town Procurement Code. Stating to Council on March 27, 2012 that there would be no authorization to use town funds in connection with a voter fraud investigation; You later claimed that you had authority to hire Mr. Humphreys to perform an investigation without approval of the Council for the expenditure and incurred expenses in excess of $8,000 on behalf of the Town without authorization from Town Council, in violation of Town Code Section 3-401H.
3. Attempted and actual abandonment of your position; Seeking to abandon your position by repeatedly requesting notice of constructive discharge from acting Town Manager Frausto; Abandoning your position by packing your belongings and not returning to work.
4. Intimidation of Acting town Manager and coercion to acquire her signature on a document purporting to recuse herself in regards to personnel matters.
5. Acting in violation of your duties of loyalty.
Brannan states that he was hired because "the Town was looking for a “hard-ass” town attorney", and that he "was advised the town was factionalized, but this was something of an understatement". According to Brannan, the recently released DPS report "provided information from which a reasonably prudent person could conclude that Gilbert did misuse the NCIC and ACJIS and did tamper with a witness. The Town was asked, however, to hold on to the information while it was reviewed by the AMRRP attorneys defending the federal lawsuit involving the seven employees, so no action was taken immediately upon receipt of the report." He claims the charge of witness tampering is being reconsidered for prosecution by the Attorney General's Office and discusses the reason that Gilbert and Sgt. Fabiola Garcia were put on administrative leave this summer, "Gilbert and one of his sergeants, a female with whom he appears to be romantically, or at the very least, inappropriately involved, had conspired to submit a time card for the charge which stated that she had worked nine hours and taken one vacation hour on a day when the Town knew that the sergeant was only in Quartzsite available to work for no more than six hours." This charge was subsequently stated by the town to be unsubstantiated and Garcia returned to work with QPD.
Brannan also claims that Councilman Mark Orgeron orchestrated open meeting violations, and that Orgeron's choice for "Interim Town Manager", CASA pension schemer Laura Bruno intimidated town employees, and engaged in prohibited personnel practices.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Quartzsite Town Council puts Police Chief Jeff Gilbert back in!
Despite being under a current investigation by the Arizona Department of Public Safety for drawing a weapon on resident John Jones, all members of the town council except Patricia Workman voted to reinstate scandal plagued Police Chief Jeff Gilbert to his position as acting Police Chief. The move came after an extensive executive session with attorneys for the Town in the Ed Foster special action, and a new conflict attorney hired by the interim town manager.
They also voted (Workman opposed), that Councilwoman Patricia Anderson would be the meeting chair, and Councilman Mike Jewitt would be the vice chair, thus eliminating the possibility that Mayore Ed Foster will run the meeting when he is seated.
Prior to reconvening the meeting, the Town was served wth federal lawsuits by residents Michael Roth, and Jennifer Jones, as well as a new Notice Of Claim for running Jones name through the ACJIS background check without probable cause or related to an investigation. Jones husband John also served the town with a Notice of Claim for the same practice.
It is expected that more lawsuits will follow.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Council hires "interim" town manager, She lays off assistant town manager!
At today's 2 pm meeting of the Quartzsite Common Council, a continuation of yesterday mornings adjourned regular meeting, all members of the council except Patricia Workman followed Mark Orgeron's lead and voted to approve signing a six month contract with Laura Bruno, the former Chief Financial Officer for the Sacramento City Unified School District.
Bruno's resume supplied to the council left off in 2002, before her greatest achievement - the illegal pension scheme known as “CASA”. She is also involved with the Southwest Chapter of the American Coach Association rally at Rice Ranch in January. Records indicate they own a parcel in Quartzsite, on Emelia.
Temporary Town Manager Terry Frausto will revert to Town Clerk, and most items on the council agenda were adjorned to the next meeting, so the the new administrator could familiarize herself with them. According to Councilman Orgeron, Bruno's mission will be to audit the books and redo the town's ordinances.
Her first official act was to place Al Johnson, the towns unpopular Assistant Town Manager/Building Official on Paid administrative leave, but the actual reasons are unknown at this time. It is believed that his firing Gilbert without authorization or notifying the council or "town manager" may be the reason. Much the same as the ongoing situation with Town Manager Alex Taft, the woman Bruno is replacing for now. Citizen's are eagerly awaiting an official explanation for Taft's paid administrative leave, and the council can't discuss that, as it was handled in executive session.
Interestingly, Bruno reports that Police Chief Gilbert is not fired after all, despite the press release from Johnson. Hopefully, an official press release explaining all of this from the town will be forthcoming.
UPDATE: A press conference was held and can be viewed at: http://youtu.be/cMrRaWkUfoM
See also:
http://bellforschoolboard.org/content/sacramento-schools-casa-case-reopens-old-wounds
http://www.calstate.edu/pa/clips2003/october/13oct/casa.shtml
Bruno's resume supplied to the council left off in 2002, before her greatest achievement - the illegal pension scheme known as “CASA”. She is also involved with the Southwest Chapter of the American Coach Association rally at Rice Ranch in January. Records indicate they own a parcel in Quartzsite, on Emelia.
Temporary Town Manager Terry Frausto will revert to Town Clerk, and most items on the council agenda were adjorned to the next meeting, so the the new administrator could familiarize herself with them. According to Councilman Orgeron, Bruno's mission will be to audit the books and redo the town's ordinances.
Her first official act was to place Al Johnson, the towns unpopular Assistant Town Manager/Building Official on Paid administrative leave, but the actual reasons are unknown at this time. It is believed that his firing Gilbert without authorization or notifying the council or "town manager" may be the reason. Much the same as the ongoing situation with Town Manager Alex Taft, the woman Bruno is replacing for now. Citizen's are eagerly awaiting an official explanation for Taft's paid administrative leave, and the council can't discuss that, as it was handled in executive session.
Interestingly, Bruno reports that Police Chief Gilbert is not fired after all, despite the press release from Johnson. Hopefully, an official press release explaining all of this from the town will be forthcoming.
UPDATE: A press conference was held and can be viewed at: http://youtu.be/cMrRaWkUfoM
See also:
http://bellforschoolboard.org/content/sacramento-schools-casa-case-reopens-old-wounds
http://www.calstate.edu/pa/clips2003/october/13oct/casa.shtml
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