Staff from Shasta County’s personnel and administrative departments will be on site at both the Market and Court Street election offices beginning Monday, May 11. They’re being deployed to mediate conflict and facilitate communication in the wake of findings of abusive conduct by appointed Registrar of Voters Clint Curtis.
There are three candidates running for Shasta County’s District 5 board seat. Mike Gallagher says he’s running to bring dignity back to the board chambers.
Yesterday, Shasta’s head of personnel reminded the county’s thousands of employees of the commitment to a safe working environment after findings of abusive conduct by election official Clint Curtis. Today, supervisors voted in closed session to represent and indemnify election staff if they’re named in a lawsuit by Curtis.
At a candidate forum hosted by the League of Women Voters in Redding, incumbent Assemblymember Heather Hadwick stood her ground as Anderson City Council member Darin Hale took aim at her political decision-making. Mt. Shasta-based Dianna James spoke mostly about her campaign promises.
There are three candidates running for Shasta County’s District 5 board seat. Chris Kelstrom says he’s running to make things better for the “little guy.” His priorities include improving public safety, stabilizing county finances and addressing issues related to the North Battle Creek Reservoir.
The document outlines a number of allegations, only some of which were sustained. Registrar of Voters Clint Curtis — who’s running to maintain his appointed position as county clerk — has denied the findings and says he’ll sue the county. A second investigative report with more serious findings is still pending release.
Two investigations have resulted in substantiated findings that the registrar of voters engaged in abusive conduct against staff. That conduct included violent threats, a county staffer said today, noting that a restraining order may be needed. The three supervisors who voted to appoint him last May were the same three who voted against censuring him. Two are running for reelection, along with Curtis, in an election he’ll oversee in June.
Interviews with multiple county staff members and labor representatives painted a picture of a work environment where staff have allegedly been subjected to the removal of job assignments, ongoing verbal abuse and threats of violence. Clint Curtis, the county’s appointed registrar of voters, did not respond to a request for comment.
With the primary just five weeks away, Shasta supervisors have called a special meeting to discuss whether or not to censure Curtis after a substantiated investigation by the county.
Candidates responded to questions as basic as their willingness to comply with state and federal law while each claimed they were the person to maintain the public’s trust in the election process.
