ST. PETE, Fla. — St. Pete Mayor Ken Welch said changes are underway at City Hall.
In a press conference Thursday, the mayor announced new initiatives to get to the bottom of any workplace bullying.
"I've directed staff to develop a citywide assessment of our workplace climate. The assessment will allow employees to confidentially give us feedback on the current workplace environment and inform our policies and decision-making going forward," he said.
Those changes are a direct result of allegations of workplace bullying.
Former Communications Director Janelle Taylor issued her resignation letter on September 1st. She pointed to the culture in the workplace in her letter, saying
I have determined that the disclosed hostile work environment, lack of communication or guidance and overall culture of bullying, all related to my direct supervisor, were not adequately addressed, and thus warrant my immediate departure from this administration.
The Mayor launched an internal investigation, placing Owens on administrative leave. A day later, Deputy Mayor Stephanie Owens issued her own resignation letter, effective September 9th.
"I am disappointed in the nature of their departures and the allegations made by Miss Taylor in her resignation letter," the Mayor added. "I do not believe that there is a pervasive hostile work environment in our city. But as Mayor, I need to base my decisions on facts and data, not solely on my beliefs."
Taylor's resignation letter states her conversation with the Mayor a day prior led to her decision to leave. The Mayor offered his take on the conversation.
"There were no complaints filed, nor was I informed of a problem until the day before that letter was sent to the city. It was during a discussion with Miss Taylor in the context of proposed changes in our communication organization that she alleged a hostile workplace environment related to her immediate supervisor, former Deputy Mayor Stephanie Owens. Miss Owens disputes that charge. It's important to respect Ms. Taylor's allegation, even without any official complaint. However, it's also important to respect the statement of former deputy mayor Owens who refutes those allegations," he added.
Taylor issued a statement in response to the Mayor's comments, saying
“I stand by my letter of resignation and subsequent comments on my departure from my position as communications director. At this point, it is important that I focus on my next career steps, which I will be announcing in the coming days, and move on from the unfortunate circumstances that prompted my resignation. I encourage existing City staff to heed Mayor Welch’s stated goal of providing safe avenues for which to report grievances and hope those channels will provide employees the means to ensure a healthy workplace atmosphere.”
The Mayor has also decided to absolve the Deputy Mayor position. The Deputy Mayor's primary function was policy development. Owens directly supervised nine employees out of the 3,600 within the City of St. Pete. Those job duties will now fall under a Chief of Staff reporting close to the Mayor and the City Administrator. Mayor Welch says more changes are planned for organization in City Hall. Those changes were discussed before the resignations.
