'Abusive, demeaning and insulting': Etna's Evans violates personnel policies, report finds

Etna Township Trustee Mark Evans has demeaned, ridiculed and insulted township employees to the point of violating the township's personnel policies, according to an independent investigation.

The report states there is "no question" Evans' behavior and communications with and about township personnel and other trustees violates the township's policy against bullying.

"Multiple communications and messages drafted by Trustee Evans are abusive, demeaning and insulting to Township employees and Trustee (Rozland) McKee. He has repeatedly and publicly accused Township employees and officials of lying, of being incompetent and consistently threatens their appointment or employment with the Township," the report states. "It is one thing to hold the belief that a particular employee is not doing his or her job, it is another to repeatedly threaten the employees with the loss of their jobs and to engage in behavior designed to publicly demean and ridicule them."

The report states that public officials, especially elected ones, should set an example of professionalism in public communications and actions.

"Trustee Evans' behavior is the antithesis of this sentiment," the report states.

The investigation was the result of a employee complaint submitted Aug. 31 by Township Administrator Nita Hanson, who was hired in April.

In the complaint, Hanson wrote that Evans' conduct has been unfavorable and discriminatory since she joined the township staff.

"Since I have asked multiple times over the brief five months that I have been employed by the Township for the conduct to stop and it has not, I have reached the obvious conclusion that enduring the offensive conduct is a condition of continued employment," Hanson wrote. She goes on to write that the harassment is severe and pervasive enough that any reasonable person would consider it to be intimidating, hostile, discriminatory and abusive.

Trustees Rozland McKee and Jeff Johnson approved searching for special outside counsel to conduct the investigation Sept. 19 and Columbus attorney Christina Corl was hired as the third-party investigator Oct. 3. Corl's report, which was provided to The Advocate on Wednesday through a public records request, is dated Nov. 14.

Hanson said during her interview with the investigator that Evans is constantly critical of her and treats her in a hostile fashion. He has filed multiple public records requests for records he already has to make busy work for her, according to the report.

Hanson also told the investigator that she had heard from multiple residents that Evans frequently speaks in public about terminating her employment and posts derogatory comments about her and McKee on Facebook. She provided the investigator with several Facebook posts and messages in which he accuses her and other township officials of lying. Those posts were not included in the copy of the report provided to The Advocate.

Hanson's compliant includes numerous exchanges between Evans, Hanson and McKee over several months. In those emails, Evans accuses Hanson of being derelict her duties and frequently accuses her of providing false information to residents and in meetings.

In one email, he accuses McKee of having her husband draft her email communications.

Corl wrote in the report, "I have not seen any communication by Trustee Evans which is not derogatory and demeaning to its recipients."

In her initial compliant, Hanson stated Evans created a hostile work environment by engaging in gender-based intimidation. While Evans engaged in misogynistic communications, the investigator found his demeaning comments were not limited to just women.

"However, all witnesses interviewed also stated that Trustee Evans is an 'equal opportunity' degrader," the report states. "In other words, the witnesses stated that he was equally demeaning and insulting to male employees."

This is not the first incident Evans has had with a township employee. He had an altercation with a different employee that resulted in Licking County Sheriff Office's deputies being called in February. Evans also repeatedly clashed last year with the township's former management consultant, Bill Vance.

During the Nov. 21 meeting, the board voted to reprimand Evans for bullying, which is prohibited under the township's personnel policies, and to direct comments, criticism and feedback of Hanson to Jeff Johnson in a 2-0 vote. Evans abstained from the vote at the advice of the township's legal counsel.

McKee said after the vote that the action was taken as a way to protect the township.

"We can be sued, and that's why we chose to do what we did here. Either you want to be sued or you protect your township. I care about my township. I live in this township. I've lived here for 20 years," she said. "I love Etna Township. I want to protect the township, and I also want to protect the employee at the same time. If this was me, I'd want the protection as well."

Evans claimed in the meeting that McKee stopped the investigation before he spoke to the investigator, thus creating a one-sided report.

Based on the report, Corl reached out to Evans at least five times in October and November to schedule an interview. Corl and Evans exchanged multiple communications but each time he was not available on the dates she provided. He often would not responded to her emails for days at a time.

On Nov. 10, Evans provided several days in January when he would be available. Corl wrote in the report that the Board of Trustees had requested the investigation be completed by the end of the month, so she finalized it without his interview.

Johnson will only serve as the intermediary between Evans and Hanson until the end of the year, when his term ends as he he did not seek reelection. Gary Burkholder, who served as a trustee from 2004-2007 and was endorsed by Evans, was elected to fill the open seat in the Nov. 7 election.

McKee said after the meeting Johnson was selected as the intermediary because she could not as she served as a witness and was interviewed as part of the investigation.

McKee said the township's legal counsel at Brosius, Johnson & Griggs LLC asked the Licking County Prosecutor's Office to serve as the mediator, and that request was declined. Another option was to have the legal team at Brosius, Johnson & Griggs as the intermediary, but McKee said that would have been costly. Johnson was the the remaining option.

As both McKee and Evans have conflicts, the board will have to decide in January if it wants to select Burkholder as the new mediator, McKee said.

mdevito@gannett.com

740-607-2175

Twitter: @MariaDeVito13

This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Etna trustee's 'demeaning' behavior violates policies, report finds