The Farmers Branch City Council unanimously approved a public reprimand of Mayor Terry Lynne in response to allegations of improper interactions with city staff.
The reprimand, issued earlier this month, directed him to refrain from all further direct communications with staff, recommended he take sensitivity training and required a third party be present when he interacts with Deputy City Manager Jawaria Tareen.
"This is to the members of city staff who have been impacted by the inappropriate actions that have led to this action tonight: We appreciate your tolerance, patience and professionalism," Council member David Reid said during the April 7 city council meeting. "Our goal and desire is to not have any repeat of these events moving forward."
"I would agree," Lynne said after Reid's statement.
KERA has reached out to Lynne for further comment. Stacy Henderson, the director of administrative services, said the city has no comment.
The city council voted on the measure after a closed-door meeting with city attorneys to receive legal advice regarding council member interactions. Because it occurred in a closed executive session, it's not clear what was discussed.
The reprimand comes after Lynne allegedly contacted city staff multiple times last year to give orders or ask for their input in violation of the city's charter. In Farmers Branch and other cities, only the city manager can directly give orders to staff.
On March 11, Lynne sent an email to Tareen asking for input on an email from an advocacy group. City Manager Ben Williamson replied to the message saying all communications should be directed at him to avoid placing staff in difficult positions.
That's not the first time Williamson has intervened in Lynne's communications with staff.
A Human Resources investigation last year found that at least three city employees, “were put into situations wherein they may have felt obligated or pressured to violate City policy by taking direction from the Mayor," according to the investigation summary.
According to interview notes by Jefferey Ross, director of HR for the city, Williamson has had to correct Lynne’s contact with staff multiple times, resulting in tension between the two.
Lynne in June allegedly confronted Tareen in her office after becoming upset during a phone call. Council member Tina Bennett-Burton reported the incident at the time, saying Lynne had slammed the door and was "intimidating" and "hostile."
Williamson wrote in an email to Bennett-Burton at the time that the mayor's behavior had become a pattern that continuously required intervention from him and city attorneys.
Furthermore, Farmers Branch Human Resources previously investigated an interaction between Lynne and Parks and Recreation staff member Jessica Alvarado during a September council meeting.
Alvarado gave a statement to HR that described Lynne confronting her about a National Night Out event her mother was hosting. Lynne felt the event was endorsing Council member Lupe Gonzalez, who at the time was still a candidate.
Lynne spoke with Alvarado despite Williamson advising him against it a week prior, according to Williamson's interview with HR. Williamson said he saw the conversation taking place and intervened to end it.
Alvarado said she didn't feel her ability to do her job had been affected, but was worried about how conversations with the mayor could be perceived, according to the HR investigation summary.
“Ben indicated that while the interaction with Jessica was inappropriate, it’s among a larger pattern of the same type of behavior that the Mayor has been coached on repeatedly,” according to Ross’ summary of an interview with Williamson. “This raises the concern for me as employees may be put into situations that would cause them to violate policy or react out of fear or intimidation, which creates exposure for the City and disengagement for the employee.”
In Lynne’s response to the complaint, he expressed frustration with the rules surrounding speaking directly with staff.
“It appears that council members cannot say anything other than ‘hello’ to staff without the fear of reprisal,” he wrote. “But then, a simple ‘hello’ could be taken the wrong way by the recipient and an action filed against a council member.”
Lynne did not deny briefly speaking with Alvarado or being told by Williamson about the rules for giving direction to staff.
“Moving forward, I will avoid any interactions with city employees and furthermore, will insist that the City Manager be present whenever there is an opportunity for a conversation or interaction,” he wrote.
If any incidents occur in the future, the public reprimand requires a public hearing by the city council.
Dylan Duke is KERA's Breaking News Reporter. Got a tip? Email Dylan Duke at dduke@kera.org.
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