By SHAYLA ESCUDERO/Lincoln Chronicle
Eight months after Lincoln County commissioner Casey Miller was accused of bullying and creating a toxic work environment and told not to work in the courthouse, he now has an office – four blocks to the north.
Since September, Miller has been told not to use his courthouse office after allegations he bullied employees and created a toxic work environment with statements at two meetings last year. An investigation cleared Miller of the allegations in December – but said he did release confidential information about former administrator Tim Johnson.
But instead of allowing him to return to the courthouse five months after that investigation, the county has leased an office four blocks north of the courthouse separate from other elected officials, department heads and employees.
For the past eight months, Miller has worked from home or from coffee shops where he meets with constituents or some county staff.
Miller officially lost key card access to the board of commissioner’s office Feb. 6 due to an human relations complaint, according to an email from Sheriff Adam Shanks, whose office is in charge of courthouse security and access. Miller shared the exchange with Lincoln Chronicle.
On Thursday, Miller received an email from the county’s human resources department that his belongings had been moved to an office at 407 N. Coast Highway and asked him to arrange a time to pick up the keys to the new space.
The office sits in a building shared with attorney offices and a massage therapist. Lincoln County did not answer questions from Lincoln Chronicle on Monday on the cost and length of the lease but instead asked for a formal records request.
The county’s office decision comes after months of turmoil, starting last August and September with conflicts over setting up a drug deflection program, Miller’s statements in meetings Sept. 18 and Oct. 3, the resignation of commissioner Kaety Jacobson, Johnson’s eventual departure, and repeated public and private clashes between commission chair Claire Hall, county counsel Kristin Yuille and district attorney Jenna Wallace.
Regular disputes at commission meetings has led Hall to propose limiting public comment to discuss only matters that are on the agenda.
While Miller hasn’t aired his grievances in the meetings, he stayed after an April 16 meeting abruptly ended to hear Wallace’s latest complaint and has advocated for keeping communication open and leaving public comment open to all topics.
“Keys to a separate place does not feel like a true resolution,” Miller told the Lincoln Chronicle. “I can’t move into this space as much as I want the conveniences of an office. It doesn’t seem like I should be complicit in solving half the problem.”
An April 9 letter from Miller’s lawyer to the county details 13 steps Miller – many on his own accord – has taken since last fall’s allegations and investigation. According to the letter he has participated in workshops, human resources conferences, ethics training and publicly apologized for his actions.
“I am compelled to note that in 28 years of practicing in the area of employment law, I have never had a situation where an individual has been barred from the office for this long period, including public officials,” attorney Sonia Montalbano of Portland said in the letter. “The length of time is, in my opinion, unwarranted given that Commissioner Miller was found not to have engaged in bullying or harassment.”
Miller told the Lincoln Chronicle he is not clear what he needs to do to get back into the county courthouse and work in the commissioners’ office. He hasn’t been given a timeline or a list of requirements he needs to meet, Miller said, and issues will not be resolved if he isn’t able to understand what else needs to be done.
“I feel like this whole time I’ve trusted the process,” Miller said. “But over time I feel like it just doesn’t seem fair.”
- Shayla Escudero covers Lincoln County government, education, Newport, housing and social services for Lincoln Chronicle and can be reached at Shayla@LincolnChronicle.org
They cannot dictate to an elected official, do not kowtow to their bullying ways. Casey, you are an ethical, honest, transparent human who deserves the respect that comes with the job. This is wrong on so many levels. I am sorry they are treating you so badly. Hang in there
I believe Casey Miller is a good person but I also believe he exhibited very poor judgment in his commission meeting performance that started this whole chain of events. That said, I am at a loss to understand the legal basis for keeping him out of the county courthouse and offices, especially since the investigation found he did not bully county employees.
Are they worried that he is going to make inappropriate contacts with county employees, such as discussing personnel matters outside of proper channels?
I support the other commissioners and the county counsel, but I believe they owe both Miller and the public an explanation why he’s being kept out of the courthouse and any legal basis for doing so.
I’m with you, Lee. Keeping him out is wrong on so many levels now that he was cleared. It’s ridiculous for the county to spend money on renting an office space when they could just let him back in. For pete’s sake, commissioners Hall and Chuck, behave like adults.
I think it is time for a whole bunch of new county government officials.
It appears that Commissioner Miller is going to have to sue the county for redress on this issue. This unwise policy is now costing the taxpayers unnecessary extraneous expense, and is not the first time that the actions of Commissioner Hall have done so.
Good to see him stand against the other commissioners and the attorney on their attempt to impose prior restraint on public comments with which they disagree, at commission meetings.
Casey Miller is one of the kindest persons I know. I do not understand any justification for this kind of treatment. None.
Who is in charge at the county? Who sets the agenda for commission meetings? Evidently not the commissioners. This barring of an elected official from their office seems to be exactly like the bullying and harassment of which Casey was accused and from which he was exonerated.
I would have hoped that Commissioner Chuck would have brought some common sense to the table, but this doesn’t seem to be the case!
Hall wanted a patsy to rubber stamp all her power plays and political maneuvering. Chuck was the perfect guy for the job. She’s terrified of losing her seat and knows that she’s on borrowed time with the voters. But I don’t think we can wait for next election cycle. I think it might be time to start a recall petition and do some county house cleaning.
Get it going
Go for it. Couldn’t agree, more.
Back in ’05 we successfully recalled the Newport mayor for establishing a slush fund out of urban renewal monies. Recall petition info can be obtained at the county clerk’s office, or on the secretary of state’s website. Note of caution, however: if the recall fails, the subject then considers that outcome to be a further mandate, and recalls are, statistically, very rarely successful.
Personally, I am tired of this story. Reminds me of the kid who gets on kids’ nerves by not following the rules, then no one wants to play with him. Then he constantly tells the teacher he is being bullied. Just wants all the attention all of the time. Where are the news stories about work for the commission and county, instead of against it?
When I first moved to the coast in 1995 I couldn’t believe the child-like ways city council and county meetings were being run. It was hilarious. It seemed like high school antics. Over the years things seemed to have mellowed out a bit. Now all of a sudden we see the return of drama happening in city councils and even our county commission meetings. As for Casey Miller, I know Casey. He is one of the nicest, most non-threatening people I have ever met or worked with. Creative, a visionary, and most of all a communicator. However, being very pragmatic, he digs for the facts to fully understand issues, and that may perhaps make a few who are trying their best to control things a little uncomfortable. You ‘da best, Casey.
I will have it admit, that I did not realize we had a county commission of only three persons. This seems like an ackward way to run a county office. I think that a minimum of five is needed, if nothing else, to prevent a fiasco like this takeover. And we also need to put a term Limit on those officials. Three terms seems like a good way to stop any conflict of interest.