Accusations of serious misconduct by city officials fly at Boynton Beach meeting
Accusations that some of Boynton Beach's top leaders have been involved in serious misconduct came to light during a public meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 19, leaving commissioners with decisions on how to move forward.
Mayor Ty Penserga informed his colleagues at the commission meeting that he received an email detailing “various incidents” and “claims of retaliation, discrimination and disparaging treatment.”
The grievance involves City Manager Dan Dugger, Deputy City Manager Andrew Mack, City Attorney Shawna Lamb and the person who filed the complaints, Human Resources Director Tennille Decoste.
The mayor offered to either summarize the issue or to read the latest complaint verbatim, but commissioners decided against both options, asking instead to read the allegations privately before returning for a special meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 27, and deciding next steps. That could include the hiring of a third-party investigator because the allegations involve people who would usually handle such claims.
Since that time, The Palm Beach Post has obtained the most recent complaint, along with other documents that shine a light on the accusations being raised in Boynton Beach. Here is a detailed timeline:
Nov. 20: Human Resources Director Tennille Decoste, who is also a candidate for Delray Beach’s city commission, said it was on this date that Dugger and Lamb verbally notified her that she would be investigated for receiving campaign donations from Boynton Beach employees. Decoste contends that such donations are neither illegal nor unethical.
Dec. 7: Decoste emailed the mayor and said she believes the investigation is “tainted and the outcome is predetermined,” going on to say that Boynton Beach’s attorney told her “we are not going to fire you we are going to let you resign,” even though the investigation was ongoing. Decoste’s email also included concerns she was being retaliated against for trying to hold the city manager and other city officials accountable for their previous unprofessional behavior.
Dec. 11: Deputy City Manager Andrew Mack notified Decoste in writing that she was being placed on paid administrative leave while an outside firm investigates “issues related to your employment.” The letter, signed by Mack, urges Decoste to stay away from City Hall or other city-owned property, and to not "contact City staff and City-elected officials, other than me.”
Dec. 19: Decoste sent another email to the mayor before commissioners met for their regularly scheduled meeting later that evening. The HR director’s second email expanded on allegations that city leaders made inappropriate comments and swept wrongdoing under the rug.
Decoste said she believes the investigation and her placement on leave are forms of retaliation and unequal treatment, pointing to allegations against other city employees that she claims never led to investigations or the same kind of swift action.
“I do love the city of Boynton Beach,” Decoste said in a recent interview. “I’m not a disgruntled employee. It’s just I want to get treated equally, like everybody else is."
In separate statements, Dugger, Mack and Lamb declined to comment on specific allegations and said they had not yet seen the complaint. They went on to express confidence in their work and integrity, and said they looked forward to the allegations being properly vetted if the commission decides to move forward with an investigation.
Allegations against Boynton's deputy city manager involve racist comment
One of the more shocking details in Decoste's recent email is an allegation that Mack told Dugger the HR director was “hiring too many Black women.”
Decoste said she heard from other city employees that the alleged comment took place, and she believes that, by confronting Mack, she put a target on her own back.
“Another incident is when I questioned Andrew (Mack) about the Black comment in front of two other employees,” Decoste said in the email. “I asked him why he would make that comment and his wife is Black, he shrugged his shoulders and turned red, and didn't even reply. I was extremely emotional and disgusted by the comment.”
Decoste's email also details an incident in which another senior city employee reportedly yelled and screamed at her. Decoste said she tried to discipline the employee and that Mack intervened and tried to reassign the employee to a position that person was unqualified for.
Decoste's email said the person instead resigned, and that Mack — someone who worked closely with the employee, according to the HR director — was unhappy with Decoste for apparently driving the employee out of the city. Her email also states that:
The deputy city manager was allegedly "cursing out and yelling at" another city leader who, in turn, came to Decoste in tears. The HR director said she pushed for the city manager to take action and that nothing was done.
Decoste said she and another high-level employee went to Mack with concerns about a city employee filing fraudulent time cards, and that nothing was done.
The HR director also alleged that, when the city manager went on vacation, the deputy manager became Boynton Beach's acting leader and used the opportunity to quickly place Decoste on leave.
"I will say I have been employed with City of Boynton Beach for almost 15 years and have never been reprimanded or disciplined," Mack said in a written response. "I look forward to any investigation as an opportunity to clear my name."
Complaint against Boynton's city manager includes accusation that concerns were never investigated
Decoste raised similar allegations against the city manager, saying that Dugger went on to repeat the statement about "hiring too many Black women," and that he, too, disregarded concerns that should have been investigated.
One such incident, according to Decoste, is when a city employee was accused of coming to a public meeting while intoxicated. Decoste said the city manager arranged for the employee to be picked up and brought home. The HR director also said that Dugger told her to move past the incident instead of investigating.
According to her emails to the mayor, Decoste said:
Dugger reported her to the Palm Beach County Commission on Ethics for alleged issues related to her "time usage" and the use of her city purchasing card — both of which the city manager previously approved, the HR director said. Decoste then said the city manager made the report after facing pressure from other city leaders, and the HR director believes the complaint was also made, in part, because she confronted Dugger about "the Black comments."
The city manager, according to Decoste, is under investigation by the Office of Inspector General but was never placed on leave. In an interview, Decoste said the OIG investigation into Dugger is related to accusations that he improperly gave several employees large raises.
One of Decoste's emails also raises concerns about Dugger reportedly doing "personal school work on the City's computer." The HR director, whose computer was apparently confiscated, goes on to ask: "Why am I being treated different?"
Without naming Decoste, the city manager said in a recent interview that he received "quite a few complaints against an employee," sparking an outside investigation into that person. Declining to comment on the new allegations leveled against him and others, Dugger said he preferred to let the investigative process, if one comes to fruition, play out first.
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"I'm not going to comment on specifics because I'm not going to get into the back and forth, but I can tell you that when this is done, I have no issue being fully transparent," the city manager said. "But I'm not going to compromise the integrity of this investigation or the integrity of the investigation that may come after the commission's special meeting."
Dugger went on to say that he was innocent of any allegations against him. However, he said, if an investigation finds otherwise, he plans on "taking full responsibility for any mistakes."
"Right now they are allegations, and just like every single other person, I'm afforded the same opportunity during the investigative process to clear my name," he continued.
Complaints filed say Boynton's city attorney broke HR director's trust
In her emails on both Dec. 7 and Dec. 19, Decoste alleged that Boynton Beach's city attorney is actively working against her.
Decoste said she privately shared several concerns with the city attorney on Nov. 30 and that, instead of taking actions on those concerns, Lamb broke her trust by relaying their conversation to the city manager. According to her emails, the HR director believes the city attorney is upset because a different law firm — one that Lamb apparently has bad blood with — donated to Decoste's campaign for the Delray Beach commission.
The HR director is also casting doubt on the integrity of the investigation against her. She said nobody has provided a formal summary of the allegations against her, and that Lamb personally chose the attorney who was then responsible for hiring an outside investigator — a conflict, in Decoste's eyes.
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“I am asking for something to be done to protect me, my reputation, and the city's reputation," Decoste said in her recent email to the mayor. "I have done nothing illegal or violated any policies or ethics. I have done nothing but turn the city around to ensure our employees are satisfied with the benefits we offer, and the city is protected.”
In response, Lamb declined to comment on specific allegations against her or others, citing the ongoing investigation into Decoste and the new investigation that may follow the commission's upcoming meeting.
"I can't comment because I haven't read them, and you know, at the end of the day, I'm 100% comfortable in any of my representation of the city," she said. "I think it's unfortunate — the entire situation."
Giuseppe Sabella is a reporter covering Boynton Beach and Lake Worth Beach at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at gsabella@pbpost.com. Help support our journalism and subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Email sent to Boynton Beach mayor alleges misconduct by city officials
