Less than a month after the mass departure, the town in North Carolina where the entire police department quit in protest of the town manager who they said fostered a “hostile” work environment for officers has decided to sever ties with her.
Tuesday night, after a month-long inquiry into the department’s claims, the Kenly, Texas City Council decided 3-2 to remove Justine Jones from her position.
The tiny force’s five officers, including its 20-year chief, resigned during the strike and sent their resignation letters to Jones and the city council.
Two town clerks joined them in accusing the manager of fostering a hostile work environment for the municipal workers.
The manager is a progressive black woman who unsuccessfully sued her prior employer for racial and gender discrimination.
Given that Jones is Black, in contrast to the small-town police force, which is exclusively white, Kenly people disagreed after the resignations on whether the situation was a “racial problem.”
No mention of stress or animosity was made in the seven resignation letters from the clerks or the five police; however, town chief Josh Gibson did at the time express his frustration with the department’s understaffing, saying that it contributed to the stress of the officers and employees.
Jones was let go after less than two months as town manager, and she later expressed grief over the decision and argued that she had improved the community during that period.
Given that Jones is no longer employed by the city, it is not yet known whether the cops who left the department would be returning to their positions, which was one of their main requests.
Jones said in a statement that she believed she was chosen for the position out of 30 applicants because her core principles “clearly spoke to who I am as a leader” and that “this same management philosophy guides me in performing my job professionally, with integrity, transparency, loyalty, fairness, and accountability.”
The disqualified municipal official continued by discussing the probe led by Town Attorney Chip Hewett, which turned up no proof that Jones fostered an unfriendly workplace.
‘While all associated material is undoubtedly of public interest, the claims brought against me were quickly and completely investigated by outside sources, and there was no such finding of wrongdoing by me or my office,’ Jones wrote.
“It is really sad that the choice was made not to publish the whole account and publicly release the report’s conclusions.”
After being fired from her former job, Jones, a middle-aged black woman, filed a lawsuit against Richland County, South Carolina, alleging racial and gender discrimination.
According to the lawsuit, she served as an assistant director and manager of research.
During her employment with the county, Jones herself claimed that she was subjected to “hostile” treatment and retribution for reporting improper conduct by other municipal employees, that her pay was unfair, and that she was treated differently because of her condition.
The ailment to which she was referring was not identified in the lawsuit.
She was accused of such things after she was fired on March 30, 2015, and her lawsuit was later rejected.
Court records are silent about the reasons why the lawsuit was dismissed.
Following a “nationwide search” of 30 applicants, Jones was chosen by the Kenly town council, according to a news statement issued last month.
She has spent the last 16 years working for local governments in Minnesota, Virginia, South Carolina, and now North Carolina. During that time, she has developed a reputation as a progressive who is awake.
Prior to being approached for her present employment early last month, she operated at her own consulting firm after being sacked from her Richland County job in 2015.
She would ultimately prevail over 30 other contenders, taking up her position on June 2.
When she was hired, some eight years after she was let go, the municipality issued a press statement praising the coup.
Josh Gibson, the chief of police in Kenly, did not share this excitement, and he and the other six municipal employees sent stern letters to Jones giving them two weeks’ notice.
Gibson wrote in a letter to Jones and the town’s city council, “We have seen ups and downs in my 21 years at the Kenly Police Department.”
But we have made significant progress, particularly over the past three years, and we had hoped to keep it up.
However, I do not think progress is possible because of the hostile work environment that is currently present in the Town of Kenly, he continued.
“I am appreciative that this community has allowed me to serve as Johnston County’s longest-serving chief. I really will miss them.
A short time after sending the letter, Gibson announced on Facebook that he would be leaving the force and that he was unsure of his future plans after giving up his long-standing position in early August.
After 21 years of service, he wrote, “I have submitted my two weeks’ notice along with the entire police department with the town of Kenly.”
The new manager has created a setting in which I don’t think we can carry out our responsibilities and provide services to the community. What comes next for me is a mystery to me. I’m going to let the Lord lead the way.
He continued, “I have loved this community; it has become family and serving it has been one of my greatest honours. God bless you all.’
Gibson named as candidates for the position the county clerks Christy Thomas and Sharon Evans, who in their resignation letters stated that they were leaving their respective positions because they were unable to handle the stress Jones brings.
However, Gibson did tell ABC11 that he was frustrated that the department was understaffed and that it added to the stress of the officers and workers.
Neither the clerks nor the five officers specified what stress or hostility they were referring to.
It was simply very stressful for many of us to try to maintain and keep coverage, he claimed.
“This is terrible.” The neighbourhood has always been so very supportive of us.
The other officers, including Austin Hills, Jason Tedder, G.W. Strong, and Darren K. Pate, concurred with their superior’s remarks and expressed their frustration with the atmosphere Jones had fostered at work since she assumed her position less than two months ago.
Gibson has said that if Jones were fired from her post, he could think about joining the police. He has not yet responded to Jones’ dismissal.
In the little town of Kenly, which is located about 45 miles from Raleigh, the majority of the 2,400 citizens are black, making up around 55 percent of the town’s population.
Because it is tiny, the community is well connected, and everyone knows each other and what each other is up to.