Oktibbeha County supervisors issued a two-day suspension without pay to Road Manager Fred Hal Baggett after more employee complaints against him piled up during a marathon meeting on Monday.
Supervisors’ decision, which was unanimous, came after a three-hour executive session that formed the back half of a six-hour meeting.
Baggett’s suspension will be served Oct. 4-5, and supervisors ordered board attorney Rob Roberson to place a letter of reprimand in Baggett’s personnel file.
Baggett once was employed as Lowndes County’s road manager.
Supervisors were presented with two complaints during the executive session. One, from road department employee Doris Harris, alleges Baggett wrote her up twice — once for getting a ticket she claims she did not get while in a county vehicle and again for questioning a non-smoking ordinance Baggett allegedly put in place without board approval.
The complaint also claims Harris, as the only female working on the road with the road department, is “denied the opportunity to leave the job site” when needing to use the restroom and is “told I have to use the woods like the men.”
Harris’ complaint further alleges that on Aug. 10, she heard Baggett tell Tommy Smith, a foreman with the road department, that “employees at shop B were all (racist).” After that, according to the complaint, Baggett turned toward Harris and pointed his finger in her face and called her a baby while screaming at her.
The complaint’s final accusation is that on Sept. 17, Harris learned another employee was leaving an office position, and she wanted to apply for it. In her letter to supervisors, Harris says she’s taken some college courses, which she feels makes her more qualified than some other employees, but she was not given the opportunity to apply for the office position or for others she’s asked about.
Another complaint, from road department employee Eric Clay, stems from a Friday conversation with Baggett. In a recording The Dispatch listened to after Monday’s meeting, Clay, who is a truck driver, confronts Baggett about a position that was given to another employee.
Baggett, during the course of the conversation, questions Clay’s education and at one point, calls his work “mediocre.”
“I don’t know you that well,” Baggett says. “And the stuff I know about you is not that great.”
The complaints are not the first against Baggett. In July, former road department sign technician Justin Denson filed a federal lawsuit that accused Baggett of making several racially-charged remarks toward him — including saying that Denson looked like a “black savage Viking” — and retaliating to the employee’s complaints by firing him. Both Baggett and Denson are African-American.
Depositions in Denson’s lawsuit are scheduled for this week, according to supervisors.
Supervisors also received a letter from attorney William Starks in May on behalf of road department employee Casey Harrison that accused Baggett of verbal harassment, including threatening to terminate Harrison.
Opting for a lighter punishment
District 4 Supervisor Bricklee Miller attempted to suspend Baggett for one week and place him on probation for 90 days after supervisors returned to open session. However, that vote failed 3-2, with only District 1 Supervisor John Montgomery voting with Miller.
“We don’t need to suspend anyone for a week, because that’s taking a week away from work,” District 5 Supervisor Joe Williams said. “I don’t think it takes that to send a message. If anything, we want to send a message that that kind of behavior will not be tolerated. It doesn’t take a week suspension to be able to do that.”
After the failed vote, Trainer suggested and moved for the two-day suspension, with a second from Howard and suggestion that supervisors put a letter of reprimand in Baggett’s file.
Baggett, when he first emerged from the boardroom during the executive session, said supervisors were “talking about if they want to fire me.” Baggett seemed dismissive of the potential punishment while waiting, at one point saying: “In this position, you have to learn to deal with things. That’s politics.”
When contacted after the meeting about the suspension, Baggett declined to elaborate.
“It is what it is,” Baggett said. “I’m a big boy. I can handle it.”
Trainer, after the meeting, said a wide range of options were discussed during the executive session. He acknowledged that termination was an option to some board members, though he would not say who. However, he said there’s not currently enough support on the board for it.
“He serves at the will and pleasure of the board and I think it’s not a secret that some of the members are not satisfied,” Trainer said. “That may be something they may well consider if the support was there. But at this point, there’s not enough reason or support to do that.”
Miller: ‘This appears to be a pattern’
Miller, who has often clashed with Baggett in meetings, said she’s concerned about the number of complaints accumulating against Baggett. She said further action may be taken with regards to Clay’s complaint. She said Baggett denied the claims before Clay’s attorney allowed the recording to be released after the meeting.
“I believe the whole board is concerned,” Miller said. “This appears to be a pattern, with the same types of complaints, whether it be (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) complaints, the letter from the attorney where we had an admission after or even the lawsuit that appears to be moving forward and has the same type of tone behind it.”
Miller also said supervisors discussed “all types of action” for Baggett’s discipline during executive session.
Trainer said supervisors are trying to further determine “if and where” there are problems with Baggett in the road department. He also said he felt there was some “unnecessary agitation” from disgruntled employees to highlight issues with Baggett.
“What has to happen is, we’re taking this action to see if we can flesh out and find some other things we need to address,” he said. “We’re not excluding anyone. We’re not putting all the blame on him or them. But at the same time, we want to send a message that we’re serious about this. As of right now, he’s the one we hold accountable for that department.”
Alex Holloway was formerly a reporter with The Dispatch.
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