Posted on 02/27/2007 6:37:59 AM PST by Help!
JEFFERSON CITY | Fred Ferrell, director of the Missouri Department of Agriculture, was forced to resign Monday in the face of allegations he sexually harassed a female employee.
Gov. Matt Blunt, who previously had disciplined Ferrell for the alleged harassment and gender discrimination, requested Ferrell’s resignation. Democrats charged that the Republican governor only forced out Ferrell after an uproar started to build over the allegations.
The resignation came after specific details of the alleged harassment and gender discrimination became public on Friday, when the agriculture department released a Missouri State Highway Patrol investigative report. Heather Elder, the former employee who made the allegations, charged in a court filing that Ferrell had touched and kissed her, told her he wanted to see her in a wet T-shirt and refused to promote her because he believed women shouldn’t supervise men.
Ferrell, a 66-year-old farmer from Charleston, could not be reached for comment, but in a statement Friday he said he had apologized for his behavior. Blunt on Friday also said that he had punished Ferrell last May by imposing a $10,000 fine, suspending him, requiring him to apologize and undergo sensitivity training.
By Monday, though, Democratic critics were saying the governor hadn’t done enough.
Democratic women lawmakers sent a letter Sunday to Blunt, demanding an explanation of why Ferrell was allowed to keep his position after the governor learned of his boorish behavior.
“Your decision to keep this man in power, potentially leaving other female employees in harm’s way, while you worked to keep his actions secret from the public violated the public trust and merits a full public accounting,” said the letter, which was signed by seven lawmakers, including Sen. Jolie Justus and Rep. Jenee Lowe, both Kansas City Democrats.
Rep. Margaret Donnelly, a St. Louis County Democrat who also signed the letter, said Monday that Ferrell’s firing was long overdue. She said it was outrageous that Ferrell had been allowed to keep his job for eight months.
“The state has an obligation to provide a workplace that is not harassing and gives all employees a chance to use their abilities to the fullest extent,” Donnelly said.
“It’s quite shocking that the governor has not upheld those standards.”
By late Monday, the governor was no longer defending Ferrell.
“It has now become apparent that he can no longer lead the department effectively, and I have today asked for and accepted his resignation,” Blunt said in a statement.
Matt Boatright, the department’s deputy director, will serve as the agency’s interim director while a search for Ferrell’s replacement takes place.
Blunt’s office for months had refused to release the highway patrol’s report, saying the investigation concerned a personnel matter, and the report was not a public record.
However, attorneys for the Agriculture Department on Friday released the report, which consisted of interviews with Elder, Ferrell and more than a dozen other employees.
Elder’s allegations first became public after the department sued her last week, claiming she had backed out of a settlement agreement. The settlement called for the department to pay Elder $70,000 and $12,000 in attorney’s fees in exchange for dropping her claims.
Elder, 36, filed a countersuit, claiming Ferrell had sexually harassed her and denied her a promotion because she was a woman. Her attorney said she had never agreed to the settlement.
Elder went to work for the Agriculture Department in September 2005 as assistant to the state veterinarian. In March 2006, the department’s spokeswoman left for another position and Elder was asked to fill in.
Soon after, Elder recalled in an interview with investigators, Ferrell came to her and gently held her face in his hands and kissed her on the cheek.
Elder said she was surprised by his action, but didn’t object. But his actions quickly grew more sexual and more overt, she said. He would come up behind her and put his arm around her waist or give her hugs.
On April 27, 2006, Elder walked by an office where Ferrell, his secretary and another worker were laughing. Elder asked to get in on the joke and Ferrell said employees wanted a “jeans day.” He said he decided that it needed to be a “tight jeans day” and that they also needed to have a wet T-shirt contest.
“Ferrell pointed at her and said that he wanted her to be the first in line for the wet T-shirt contest,” Elder told investigators.
Ferrell told investigators that he made the comment, and he did direct it toward Elder but “never intended the statement to be taken negatively.”
Ferrell’s attitude toward women in the workplace was well known in the department, the report found.
Ferrell referred to his secretary, Chris Roark, as his “show dog,” the report said. Ferrell told Elder that “Chris was nice to look at, but there wasn’t much going on in her head,” Elder told investigators. While handing out an award to the department’s grant writer, Ferrell said he “didn’t know a woman could even balance a checkbook, let alone find money,” Elder said.
When interviewed by investigators, Ferrell acknowledged that he might have made such statements.
Several employees attempted to explain Ferrell’s behavior by saying he was a “southern gentleman.” Others confirmed incidents of kissing and touching and comments about women.
Carla Holste, Elder’s attorney, said her client considers the entire matter unfortunate for everyone involved. But she cannot understand how Blunt knew of Ferrell’s actions in May and decided to leave him in his job for eight months.
“Gentlemen don’t say and do the things that Mr. Ferrell did,” Holste said.
Were the same bunch screaming for Clinton to resign?
"Blunt on Friday also said that he had punished Ferrell last May by imposing a $10,000 fine, suspending him, requiring him to apologize and undergo sensitivity training. "
Seems like he took the necessary corrective steps.
"Democratic women lawmakers sent a letter to Clinton, demanding he resign for his boorish behavior."
Were you hoping for something like this?
Keep dreaming.
The governor is named Blunt.
The Missouri governor Matt Blunt is son of US. Rep Roy Blunt.
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