This story has been corrected to state that the judge’s injunction against the mayor’s investigation into the court prevented his office from taking action against any personnel because of its conclusions but did not require it to stop.
BELLINGHAM, Wash. – A lawyer hired by Mayor Seth Fleetwood’s office to investigate reports of a toxic workplace at the Bellingham Municipal Court says she found evidence to support workers’ claims.
The attorney he hired, Sarah Hale, says in her report that she found evidence supporting court workers’ claims of a lack of break time required by a collective bargaining agreement, intimidation, and favoritism to some and unfair treatment of others.
She also found allegations of surveillance by court management both by physically following workers and with video monitoring.
Hale says the refusal to participate by the court’s only judge, Debra Lev, and three managers hampered her investigation.
Lev filed a lawsuit contesting the mayor’s ability to launch an investigation, claiming it violates the separation of the city’s executive and judicial branches.
A Skagit County judge heard that lawsuit and issued an injunction on June 4th that prevents the city from taking action against any personnel as a result of the investigation’s findings.
Fleetwood says in a statement that he has a responsibility to investigate workplace complaints by all city employees and that’s his only interest.
He says he hopes Judge Lev will take responsibility for the workers’ complaints and take actions to address them.