Documents obtained by IPR shed new light on the reason for Leelanau County Administrator Jim Dyer’s paid administrative leave, which up until now has been largely a mystery to the general public.
Last week, the County Board of Commissioners placed Dyer on leave pending an internal investigation into “complaints related to county administration,” but did not specify what the investigation was about.
But IPR obtained a copy of a 10-page complaint through a Freedom of Information Act request.
Leelanau County Finance Director Rio Risbridger filed her complaint in a June 5 letter she wrote to the Leelanau Board of Commissioners.
In it, Risbridger wrote that she “repeatedly found [herself] the only safeguard ensuring the Finance Department complies with the law, generally accepted accounting standards, and county policy.”
Risbridger was hired as Finance Director in March after the previous director, Cathy Hartesvelt, was reportedly fired for insubordination.
Months prior, Hartesvelt had submitted a complaint that she “felt threatened by her supervisor (Dyer) during an Executive meeting” in which she claims Dyer argued with her about a change she proposed. In the complaint, it was noted that Hartesvelt claimed that Dyer shook his finger at Hartsevelt and said “if you ever do that again.”
In March, another finance employee, Elizabeth Gray, resigned and accused him of “physical intimidation” and “administrative negligence” in an exit letter.
Risbridger made similar accusations in her 10-page letter. In one instance, Risbridger claimed that she told Dyer she needed additional help from County Clerk employees, as she was both a new hire and did not receive adequate training. During that conversation, she claims Dyer interrupted her and slammed his hand on the table.
“They are not going to f—ing train you,” she recalled Dyer saying. She wrote that he then added, “Sorry, I shouldn’t do that.”
Risbridger also claimed communicating with Dyer was difficult, writing that, “Dyer states that he can be a real a–hole, so he expects his staff to call him out.” Risbridger wrote that when staff “do call him out,” they are met with hostility and punishment.
Other concerns Risbridger highlighted were a lack of transparency with the Board of Commissioners and a departure from standard procedures.
In one instance, Risbridger wrote that she was told by HR Director Jen Kain that Dyer’s credit card was “shut off” and that Risbridger was to activate another card of a terminated employee. Risbridger wrote that, while she convinced Dyer not to activate the card, he stated in conversation with her that “he saw nothing wrong” with using a terminated employee's card.
In another instance, Risbridger wrote that Dyer approved a severance package for an employee without going to the Board of Commissioners for approval. Risbridger argued that Dyer did not have the authority to enter into this agreement and spoke with him about her concerns. She later wrote that the County Treasurer John Gallagher wrote an email to Dyer saying he would not process the payment without board approval.
When Risbridger later spoke with Dyer, she claimed he suggested Gallagher’s email was a “personal attack” and that there was no accounting issue. Risbridger did not write whether that payment eventually went through.
Risbridger made additional accusations, including Dyer lying to the Board of Commissioners, continued disparagement of current and past employees, and withholding information important to financial decision making.
IPR spoke with Leelanau County Board Chairman Steve Yoder, but he declined to comment. We emailed Dyer for comment, but he did not respond in time for publication.
You can read the full complaint here.
Public comments
Tuesday night's Board of Commissioners regular meeting brought a handful of people to comment on the situation with Dyer.
Sheriff Mike Borkovich spoke in the adminstrator's defense, saying his department has always had a good relationship with Dyer.
"We've been through a lot of administrators, a lot of personnel in the 14 years I've been sheriff, and working with Administrator Dyer has been straightforward, honest, and I feel like I can ask him a lot of questions based on his prior experience," Borkovich said.
He urged the commissioners to reinstate Dyer.
He was followed by Cleveland Township resident Kim Rozanski, the first in a handful of county residents who expressed frustration with turbulence in county government.
And Rozanski said there's a troubling pattern.
"Many of the employees who raised concerns were experienced and respected members of the county workforce," she said. "Several were women serving in leadership or professional roles."
And Rozanski said there's a lot of fatigue among residents of Leelanau County who are watching their county government travel a bumpy road.
"The county has spent much of the last year replacing people, transferring knowledge, training new staff and rebuilding departments. At some point stability itself should be a priority," she said. "As you evaluate the current situation I hope you focus not only on individual allegations but also on the broader pattern and the overall results. Residents deserve answers."
