More turmoil in Wyandotte County: Racial discrimination alleged in finance department
The finance department of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, is a racially insensitive environment, an employee says in a recently filed lawsuit.
Reginald Lindsey, 49, has worked since 2011 in the Unified Government’s finance department, where he is currently the budget director. During that time, he says in a Wyandotte County lawsuit filed last month, Lindsey, who is Black, experienced discrimination and retaliation, primarily from two fellow employees in the department: payroll director Ron Green and outgoing chief financial officer Kathleen VonAchen.
The allegations come at a time of upheaval in the Unified Government. Three department heads, including VonAchen, have announced their resignations in the past month.
The suit says that Green “frequently” uses the word “n---a” at the workplace and that he said, in 2019, after the UG was a victim of wire fraud believed to have originated in Africa, “That is what they do over there.”
VonAchen allegedly told Lindsey in 2019 that the UG “had to build a grocery store downtown because black people did not want to shop at Mexican grocery stores.” VonAchen also once said, of walking down Minnesota Avenue in downtown KCK, that “there were only Mexicans on that street, so no one would hurt her,” according to the complaint. Lindsey also alleges that VonAchen told him she had been passed up for a previous job because the UG had to hire a person of color instead.
Green did not respond to a request for comment, and VonAchen declined to comment. UG communications director Ashley Hand also declined to comment, citing the pending litigation.
After learning that Lindsey had taken his concerns to human resources and suggesting that the Unified Government engage in “diversity and sensitivity training,” Lindsey alleges that VonAchen retaliated against him by “failing to include him on personnel decisions.” Lindsey was “denied earnings and other promotional opportunities after reporting the issues raised by him,” according to the complaint.
Lindsey filed a discrimination charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in September 2019 and received a Notice of Right to Sue from the EEOC in May of this year. He is seeking in excess of $75,000 for “pecuniary and nonpecuniary damages, including lost wages and benefits, out of pocket expenses, interest, mental and emotional distress, and reasonable attorney’s fees.” Lindsey referred questions to his attorney, Gerald Gray, who did not respond to a request for comment.
All of Lindsey’s allegations occurred during the tenure of County Administrator Doug Bach, who retired in January. The current interim County Administrator is Cheryl Harrison-Lee, whose contract is scheduled to end April 1. The Unified Government is searching for a permanent replacement.
VonAchen, who submitted her resignation Sept. 1, said in previous interviews that she is leaving because the budget office she oversaw was moved out of the finance department. In August, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation sought VonAchen’s emails and other records in conjunction with a theft investigation, though VonAchen has said that she is not under investigation and that the search warrant had nothing to do with her decision to resign.
Economic development director Katherine Carttar and director of development coordination and customer service success Rob Richardson announced their departures last week. VonAchen’s last day is Dec. 15. Carttar’s is Oct. 7, and Richardson’s is Oct. 3.
