Allegations of Harassment and Retaliation Surface During Shasta County Board Discussion on Personnel Policy Changes
A discussion about County personnel policy took an unexpected turn when former Acting CEO Mary Williams alleged that ongoing harassment has been occurring behind county doors.
On Tuesday August 27, Mary Williams, who served as Acting Shasta County CEO for four months last year, returned to Board Chambers for the first time since her resignation.
Williams spoke on proposed changes to the County’s personnel policy, telling the public that changes are needed because of what’s been occurring behind closed doors at the County.
A heavily red-lined copy of the policy, which was eventually approved unanimously by the Board, was made available to the public as part of the agenda packet.
Williams said updates to the policy are the result of “a year of pressing for changes in outcomes in a system that is intentionally designed to lead employees to a dead end.”
“They tell a story,” Williams continued, “of a work environment where such specific and detailed policies are now necessary to address harassing, abusive and retaliatory conduct that procedures must be outlined for handling of complaints against elected officials.”
“Historically Shasta County did not need such explicit policies,” Williams said, “because a commitment to a safe and respectful work environment was evident in our work culture. However I can personally attest that the current environment has necessitated spelling out what was once a standard way of doing business. It is unfortunate that victims have to pave the way for these actions to be considered.”
“Tireless actions behind the scenes to make improvements,” Williams said, “Should have been enough, but here we are. (This) is a reactionary measure not a proactive one and those of us who have been in the trenches know it is a band-aid on a deeper wound. Progress is slow but it is imminent because we will not stop pushing for it.”
In response to Williams’ allegations, Supervisor Tim Garman said he’d recently become aware of such claims stating, “this retaliation stuff seems to be happening on an ongoing basis”, and asking if the personnel policy changes were a reaction to those claims.
Monica Fugitt, the County’s Director of Support Services, denied that, saying the updates to the policy have been in process since January and are intended to proactively ensure compliance with state law.
“No, the policy is not in response to the retaliation, or alleged retaliation, or harassment,” Fugitt said.
“California law outlines abusive conduct and that was not covered in the existing policy,” she continued, “ . . . what these changes are intended to do is to comply with the law.”
Williams was appointed as Shasta County’s Acting CEO in February 2023, just after Supervisors Kevin Crye and Chris Kelstrom took their seats to form the current Board majority. She never sought the permanent CEO role and resigned from the County after the current CEO, David Rickert, was appointed.
The County’s last appointed CEO was Matt Pontes, who resigned from the County in late 2022 after accusing Supervisor Patrick Jones of seeking to blackmail him.
Jones responded to Williams’ statements yesterday, August 28, by telling the public she’d told him an “outright lie” about an elections-related grant during her time as Acting CEO. He did not comment on her allegations of harassment and abuse emphasizing instead how happy he is that new staff have joined the County.
“Change was needed. Change has happened,” Jones said.
“That’s what this board represents, at least the majority, is change,” he continued. “Some people don’t accept that and I’m sorry about that. But change is happening in a good way.”
Supervisor Mary Rickert disagreed with Jones, supporting Williams allegations of harassment behind closed doors and calling such actions “reprehensible.”
“It’s got to stop,” Rickert said.
“I’m sick and tired of people being abused, of us losing talent and institutional knowledge that we will never be able to replace . . . When will Shasta County come to the realization that what’s happening right now in Shasta County is going to take decades to ever recover from?”
Along with Supervisor Garman, Rickert also alleged that harassment is occuring during closed Board meeting sesssions, asking County Counsel Joseph Larmour whether the updated personnel policies would have any bearing on that.
Larmour said no.
“Ultimately the only way for you to react and enforce any rules is for you to agendize the matter and move on and take a vote on it. Unfortunately as members of the Board you really have to police yourselves,” Larmour said. “There’s really nothing within the county code that allows any other county officer to take action against the Board.”
Williams used part of her speech to signal that there have already been ongoing investigations into harassment and abuse of County staff, saying, “A step in the right direction will be when this Board does not selectively release investigation files only when they like the outcome.”
In response to questions from Shasta Scout after the meeting, Williams said she’s aware of such investigations because she’s been called to the County to answer questions about things she “may have witnessed or experienced.”
“The county does not provide me with any information about closure of these matters or their findings, if any,” Williams wrote, “so I am not sure where these things stand.”
Williams noted that the policy changes approved yesterday will ensure that participants are informed about the investigation outcomes.
But the policy changes also say that if such an investigation finds that an elected official has engaged in unlawful harassment, discrimination, abusive conduct or retaliation, the information will be “brought to the Board of Supervisors for consideration of remedial action.”
In other words, if a supervisor harasses or retaliates, they and their fellow supervisors will make a decision on whether they face consequences.
That deeply concerned Rickert who spoke directly to the public on the issue.
“As long as the current Board majority can vote not to disclose findings of investigations,” Supervisor Rickert said, “and continue to treat anybody any way they wish to in closed session, it will never come to the public for the public to be aware of because they will protect themselves.”
In response, Crye said he’d love for closed session information to come out.
“The day of reckoning is coming and it’s going to be great,” Crye said, “ . . it’s going to be glorious when everybody is let in on what’s gone on in this building just in the time that I’ve been here.”
Speaking to Shasta Scout after the meeting, Crye said his official statement on why such investigations have not been released to the public is that “there are strict guidelines in the state of California related to HR issues.”
Asked for comment on Williams’ allegations, Crye said “there are processes in place to uphold the integrity of our office as supervisors,” stating that he has “one-hundred-percent confidence in the whistleblower hotline and the people associated with it.”
Williams used the end of her public comment to speak directly to staff. Her voice broke briefly as she offered her support.
“To county employees,” Williams said, “I want you to know that I am still here and did not simply walk after I resigned from my position. I’ve remained engaged this entire time, although I do not work for the county any longer. I still live here, am raising a family here and am invested in this county’s future and in yours. I’m on LinkedIn and socials if you’d like to connect with me even just for a listening ear.”
Have a correction to share? Email us: annelisepierce@shastascout.org
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Too bad she waited a year and a half after quitting her job to come forward. Makes me wonder what her motivation was for doing it now. I’m sure this is a question Annalese should have asked.
Gee, I thought this comment section was about a former CEO claiming to be a victim of harassment my BOS.
Appears everyone’s harassing each other comments. Ha Ha Ha!😜
Happy citizens beware of your words. Because there’s always somebody that wants to challenge your common sense logic with their stupid nonsense opinions.😜
I call bullshit. Ms. Fugitt and her management team are NOT the problem. They brought this policy forward for approval. If there is no policy, there is nothing to hold people accountable for. She seems to be the only one trying to find a way to address the core problem. Monica is one of the few leaders in the County with integrity.
HR has no authority over the Board. CEO has no authority over the Board. The Board is toxic. HHSA top management is toxic. The Board can’t be fired. The CEO is protected by his contract. CEO and Board are where the buck stops.
Williams bailed instead of helping to protect employees. Not too brave speaking out after you left. Just looks like sour grapes.
Annalese,
Your left leaning is demonstrated by your constantly deleting posts you disagree with. Let’s see how long this post lasts compared to the other deleted posts.
What nonsense. Annelise tries to remain neutral, and that is demonstrated by the mixture of comments that you see above.
She even deleted a comment from someone above who leans left.
If any comments are deleted, it’s probably because they are super offensive.
Mary was on point with everything she said. I’ve heard plenty of other things happen outside of the BoS meetings. Some I’ve heard directly from their own mouths via Red White & Blueprint. Every time I see Crye he lies about his involvement with my work. I’ve heard him speak negatively of others more than I can count. The new chapter 40 to the Personnel Rules is an anti-harassment policy all employees must sign off on annually. It’s basically a list of things that County employees can’t do, that the BoS do on a daily basis.
Everything mentioned by Mary is true, and only the snapshot. The core problem is Monica Fugitt and the other HR management. They are the enablers to all of this. It’s a small clique of top management protecting themselves at the taxpayers expense, kisding the boatds arse, while demonizing everyone else for there own incompetence. Get rid of Fugitt and management and you’ll solve the problem. Unbelievably toxic.
The pettiness of these comments are surprising. I don’t generally read the Scout because it appears biased to the left. That was evident in this article. I would hope to see a more balanced approach. Most “MAGA” won’t waste their time commenting here. I’ll check a few more articles and comments to see if this article is a true reflection of Shasta Scout.
Bruce: what in this artile indicates bias to the left. Please let me know. I’m eager to understand.
Bruce: so anybody that speaks out against harassment or abuse is somebody on the left or liberal??
Is there some unspoken rule that conservatives and people on the right can’t speak out against harassment or abuse?
Your claim makes no sense at all…
“When will Shasta County come to the realization that what’s happening right now in Shasta County is going to take decades to ever recover from?” That is why we will remain a red rural county.
So, now the comment field of this document won’t let me state any unbecoming observations about the County of Shasta staff? Sad state of affairs that the situation has come this far.
Glen: Not sure why you think that . . . all of your comments have appeared without moderation.
Mine haven’t, in fact most of mine weren’t posted.
Gee, Nick… Maybe you should work a little bit more on your “constructive criticism?” You’re already good with the insults!
Annelise,
I just sent in 2 posts on this item. They were up for a minute but are now gone. What’s the deal? This not right to suppress someone’s opinion.
Annelise censors post. Doesn’t seem ethical to me.
Nick: I find it ironic that you’re more concerned about how unethical it is not to approve all your comments than about allegations of abuse and retaliation by public officials. Some might say hell hath no fury like a man facing comment moderation . . .
Mary Williams seems to be a disgruntled ex County employee. She made lots of innuendos with little real substance during the meeting. No doubt she prefers big government status quo. Why did she inappropriately withhold information on the status of the controversial Zuckerberg elections grant? She could have justifiably been fired for withholding critical information. Fortunately for her, she apparently now has a well paid position with the Children’s Legacy Center. Many people in Shasta County became aware of the Children’s Legacy Center when it became known that they received 7 million dollars from the Zogg Fire settlement that should have gone for Igo Ono area needs
Bruce: speaking of innuendos without substance . . .
So, you think it is fine for acting the CEO to withhold critical information from the Board? You continue to show your leftist leaning colors. Not a good look for Shasta Scout. We don’t need another News Cafe.
Bruce: As I said, no substance.
Thanks for letting people know that you are the judge for what is “no substance”. You come across as self-righteous.
Bruce so you think it’s ok for a supervisor to withhold info that should be released to the public?
Because that’s exactly what Jones did when he threw away that letter about our district attorney…
Crye said he would be forthcoming about his visit with Mike lindell. Yet here we are still waiting…
So much for transparency from this board majority…
I agree with Bruce, this article focuses more on allegations than it does on the fact that election grant money information was deliberately withheld from our elected representatives. Why not tell the whole story?
Oh that’s rich.
So if Mary says something it’s an “allegation”. But if Jones says something then it’s a “fact”.
It’s also really cute that you post under different names to try to amplify your voice and make it seem like you are more than a single person.
Former Shasta County Acting CEO Mary Williams made statements of Harassment.
She was a former Acting CEO. Not a hired fulltime Shasta County CEO.
It’s not for us Shasta County Citizens to believe what she said against the BOS or other Shasta employees.
It’s the job for her to file a lawsuit with the Grand Jury. If you are a victim, then you must prove it in the court of law.
I do know this in my lifetime. If I didn’t get along with my superiors. I moved on to more greener pastures rather than become a victim.
This is a typical liberal left trope. So typical to be out of office and then come back and sling allegations.. And so typical of a liberal left news “organization“ like this to print it out so horrifically. And you’re right, the things that are taking place now will take decades to undo because what happened in the last 10 years really screwed this county over!
Jon doesn’t care if other people are harassed or have to suffer abusive treatment. Sir, you are a good upstanding citizen in your own mind only.
So let me get this straight, the policy was updated to conform to state law, so it is not the policy of the County per say but State law the County is required to follow. So, the Board members must follow State law and are therefore required to follow this policy. How can County Counsel state elected officials are exempt from adhering to State Law? Is he implying that the elected’s who oversee large volumes of staff cannot be found guilty of harassment or abusive conduct??? After reading the definition below I believe Jones and Crye are guilty of all forms of abusive conduct.
“In California, under the latest Senate Bill No. 778, “abusive conduct” is defined as: “conduct of an employer or employee in the workplace, with malice, that a reasonable person would find hostile, offensive, and unrelated to an employer’s legitimate business interests. Abusive conduct may include repeated infliction of verbal abuse, such as the use of derogatory remarks, insults, and epithets, verbal or physical conduct that a reasonable person would find threatening, intimidating, or humiliating, or the gratuitous sabotage or undermining of a person’s work performance. A single act shall not constitute ‘abusive conduct’, unless especially severe and egregious”.
Beth – I think the problem we are facing is that Supervisors are not technically employers or employees of the County. So this law doesn’t actually apply to them.
Sadly, a group of the people who are employed and included in this law treat staff in a way that is illegal but are not disciplined. Because of things that have happened, staff know that if a complaint turns into an investigation, their identities can’t be protected. In so many cases, staff have to choose between putting their careers on the line or staying silent.
Based on the reality of how the system works, staff dream of going to the Grand Jury and getting justice, but they are afraid the odds of losing their job are higher than the odds of the people who are abusive getting fired. Speak up and you can say goodbye to promotions even if you don’t get fired or pushed out.
Mary is just as wise as the rest of the many leaders, managers, supervisors, and line staff who have retired prematurely and who have chosen to give up their full pension by walking away from this place. Ignorant and mean people can throw stones all they want. County employees are very aware that Mary speaks truth – not innuendo. And her willingness to speak up means a lot to those who haven’t found a way out yet.
Bullying, harassment and retaliation are wrong…period, full stop. The drama that surrounds this county BOS is ridiculous and each of our elected representatives must strive to be better. Healthy debate is one thing, petty disagreement that leads to bullying has to end. Our local government must find a way to work towards compromise and build a path forward.
This board majority has got to go! That, Mr Crye, will be glorious!
I respectfully disagree. This is supposedly a conservative county. We don’t need more failed liberal or RINO leadership like we have had in the past. The conservative board majority is doing a great job even though they constantly have to put up with abusive, disruptive and disrespectful comments from the left leaning recall crowd. The left leaning recall crowd has never gotten over losing an election. They must get their way or they rant and rave adnosium.
Bruce R…the only reason you think Shasta Co. is conservative is that the current group of naysayers are a handful of extremists who engage in Nihilistic tactics, and are backed by millionaires who want to turn Shasta Co. into a separate state; and former Orange County officials who were forced to leave because of shady operations while in office. Do I have to state his name ?
Vote No on Measure P & Q, November 5th.
I certainly hope members of Shasta County staff who have had issues happen, file a complaint with the SC Grand Jury. Before anyone gets scared off, the Grand Jury is required by law, to NEVER reveal the name of anyone who files a complaint. The Jury will investigate and see if there is a case to be filed. The person who files a complaint will be interviewed by the GJ, but their identity will NEVER be revealed.
I served on the GJ for 18 months and I have encouraged people to file complaints, but they don’t believe their words will remain confidential. The GJ members can go to prison for revealing ANYTHING that has happened or been presented to the the jury. The State of CA takes this VERY seriously and we were quite aware that no one, even spouses, could EVER know what we knew.
I hope the community will educate themselves on the Grand Jury and have the courage to file complaints.
I certainly hope members of Shasta County staff who have had issues happen, file a complaint with the SC Grand Jury.—They don’t need to as Delores has already filed with the FBI and State Attorney General
Awww, that’s cute Nick… making friends and influencing people.
Oh wait… you’re driving people away from your cause…
Capital job sir!! Keep it up. Lol
Now I’ve got to research who this “Nick Gardner” is. Why he is part of the group working to create chaos and destroy the County of Shasta government. It’s not hard to read between the lines of the statements by the perpetrators, their motives and objectives.
Mimi – may I copy your statement to place on Facebook? I know a lot of County employees that need to see this.
Mimi, this is a great idea in most cases.
However, for many of us, the facts of the retaliation or bullying can be used to determine who filed a complaint.
“Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned”–I wonder if Mary felt the CEO job should have been hers!
Nick, if this were true, perhaps she would have applied for the job. She did not.
I also have witnessed behavior behind closed doors at the county that was unprofessional (at best) and retaliatory. My sincere hope is that the perpetrators feel consequences at some point.
Mocking Mary for her gender reveals a lot about your character.
I have to agree about the lack of character. I am entirely pro-LGBQT+ rights, don’t get me wrong, but when Nick asked me to come in front of the SCBOS, I quote, “Pull down your pants,” and show him my penis. Well, sorry, Nick, I don’t swing that way, and even if I did, do you really think the SCBOS is the place for such character?”
But then again, while the insults, threats (let alone violence) from the MAGA J.C.K. Cartel are getting old, and most of the lies and insults are entirely out of the SCBOS jurisdiction, let alone the ethics, morals, and county procedures the J.C.K. should legally follow, I don’t think we will see much change in character from the local extreme MAGA.
Sadly, Jones, Crye, and Kilstrom have worked hard over the last few years to build a safe place for chaos, lies, white nationalism, sexism, racism, authoritarianism and attempted election interference, costing taxpayers millions of hard-earned dollars and an alarming loss of valuable county employees; I believe our local MAGAs think they have a permission structure from J.C.K. and their leader (a convicted 34 count felon and adjudicated rapist) to act like with little to no character.
I worry about what the Cartel will do when G.T.B.T.P. is defeated once again and has to go through at least two or three felony trials. Will the cartel’s “Nicks ” completely lose it? I pray not.
Sad to have this kind of person casting aspersions in an attempt to intimidate a former employee. Keep up the good find Cathy.
As a current county employee and someone who worked closely with Mary, she didn’t want the CEO position. Mary is one of the most honest, compassionate and amazing humans I have had the privilege of knowing. Everything she stated is 100% accurate. Anyone who works for Shasta County knows or has experienced the bullying, harrassment and retaliation. This is not only with the BOS but across all agencies, especially HHSA. It is widely known the Whistleblower hotline, Support Services confidentiality and protection from retaliation is laughable. Employees are scared to speak out and are miserable until they find a new and better job.
That’s all sadly true. The retaliation in HHSA is ongoing and widely feared throughout the agency, most notably in Administration. Trisha Boss and Erinn Watts continue to destroy the admin branch, bit by bit, through their poor leadership decisions, cronyism in hiring, and targeted attacks on experienced and competent staff. Their continued bullying of supervisors and line staff has driven away staff, with people actually taking pay cuts to escape. If you aren’t willing to continue to praise the emperor with no clothes, then you will be targeted. The more you know in Admin, the more you suffer. Questions are NOT allowed. That may be why they are now requiring all agency PRA requests be routed through Evelyn McCurdy; she is willing to hide whatever they don’t want people to know. Soon they will have centralized all agency contracts under her as well. Does she have experience or knowledge in either area? Nope. That’s not why she was hired.
I am curious about the “elections related grant money and the lie?” Otherwise readers are left wondering what the connection is between the election grant money, the lie, and Jones saying change was needed and change is happening. This seems to me to be an important detail.
YES, the bullying at this agency exists and it’s out of control. The only way for it to stop is to leave the agency. If you complain, the upper management protects that person and they now have a green light to amplify their bad behavior towards you. It’s disgusting and sad.
Nick: Your statement is a prime example of harassing speech. Do better.
Comrade Annelise, when are you going to correct yourself and admit that canceling the dominion machines save us money?
Nick: We’re talking about harassment. If you don’t understand how your original comment about Williams is both uninformed and misogynistic I can refer you to some resources that will help educate you. You could also reread the article which addressed your concern.
It’s time for comments like Nick Gardner to be removed from commenting on SS. Him and Mr. Thomas are just out of touch and being rude to the point of no longer being able to make sense of what they’re saying.
Frank: I’ve removed one of your comments because you suggested people should leave our community due to their beliefs.
Nick your misogynistic remark is a prime example of how women are treated by the board majority and some of their followers. It is shameful.
Nick your attitude is part of this problem. What would you say to people that harassed your wife or daughter?
Nick, do you ever stop to consider if you should say something BEFORE you say it?
Because you really should.
She didn’t even apply for the job so yes, as always, you are wrong.