Last week, two more resignations were submitted from staff of Gilliam County, adding to a growing number of people who have left their jobs in the past few years.
Rachel Boyer, who was hired a year ago to be the first Finance Director at Gilliam County, resigned from her position last week. Boyer, who attended middle school in Condon, had long hoped to return to Condon, the hometown of six generations before her. A certified management accountant (CMA), Boyer moved from Vancouver, Washington where she taught accounting and finance at Washington State University Vancouver.
Boyer would not divulge specific information but did say that she has gotten whistleblower protections from the Oregon Department of Justice. In her time at the county, Boyer says that she worked to implement systems of accountability and to mitigate the risk of fraud – both of which were met with hostility by county employees and elected officials. Boyer has taken a job with a company based out of Portland and is planning to move, along with her 10-year-old son, in the coming month.
Miranda Rees, who served as the Assistant to the County Commissioners, also submitted her resignation and will leave the county on April 1. Rees has taken a job at NORCOR in The Dalles. Delaney Watkins resigned her post as Assistant to the Judge last fall.
Elected officials of the Gilliam County Court say that these staff members were targeted by other county employees, who also spread rumors throughout the community.
Others say that a divisive environment has existed for several years and that the county court is to blame.
Staff have also been dismissed from their positions in recent years, including Rachel Winestein who worked on Community Development initiatives, Teddy Fennern who worked in Family Services, and Marla Davies who worked in Senior Services and Transportation.
Others resigned after short periods of employment, including the Chief of Staff Lisa Atkins and Teresa Aldrich, who worked as the court’s Administrative Assistant until 2020.
As one of Gilliam County’s largest employers, the annual budget has grown significantly over the past 30 years. A $10 million budget became an $80 million budget. New programs have been created, and services in the county are impactful and broad in reach.
Gilliam County now has more than sixty employees, and the county offers solid compensation and benefits. These should be some of the most sought-after jobs in the area.
The exodus of employees supports the idea that the county court is a hostile work environment. Who is to blame for this? It depends on who to talk to. Either way, from an outside perspective the county court is not an attractive place to work. Fear of gossip and reprisals is enough to keep most away. Who wants to work for the county court or run for office in the current environment?
It is worth remembering that this all comes at a cost – not just to those who work at the county but to all who live in it. County employees might lobby for their preferred county court candidates – those who likely won’t be strong on accountability, or paperwork and the like.
And elected officials will probably work to hire and reward people that are aligned with their agenda and who will do their bidding in public.
It’s a zero-sum game that needs a solution or else we’ll find ourselves stuck in our current situation - with a county court in total recall and a staff that is continually heading for the exit.
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