Two Inver Grove Heights’ parks commissioners, a school board member and a former state legislator are speaking out against City Administrator Joe Lynch, who was suspended three days without pay late last year for twice violating the city’s respectful workplace policy.
The residents sent letters to the city council last week expressing their discontent with Lynch and their concerns over the cost of an investigation into his workplace behavior and the negative publicity it brought the city.
At Monday night’s meeting, three of the residents read their letters verbatim, while the fourth summed up his thoughts.
The criticism of Lynch follows the city council’s July 22 decision to enter into a separation agreement with former City Clerk Michelle Tesser, who agreed to withdraw a discrimination complaint she filed with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights over how she was treated by Lynch.
As part of the agreement, which was made public this month, Tesser was given $89,600 for “non wages.”
Kathryn Bauer, vice chair of the parks and recreation advisory commission, said Monday that Lynch’s behavior “toward a now-former employee cost him the respect of many city residents and of many city employees.”
“City Administrator Lynch’s words and actions did not promote the type of respectful workplace environment that I want to see exist in our city,” said Bauer, a 30-year Inver Grove resident. The city “deserves better,” she added.
A Rosemount law firm hired by the city last year concluded that Lynch told his then-co-worker on two days in April 2018 that she was acting “like a child” and a “teenager” and to “grow up.”
Three months later, Lynch made a sexually suggestive remark toward her about the dress she was wearing, the law firm concluded.
The co-worker’s name was redacted in the law firm’s investigative report. However, current and former city employees have since identified her as Tesser, who was the city clerk since July 2015.
Kevin Sethre, chair of the parks and recreation advisory commission, said Monday that residents are “stirred up regarding these revelations.”
“As a resident I believe that the amount of money and time spent has provided an unnecessary burden to the city and …his actions within the workplace warrant serious consideration with regard to future employment with the city,” his letter says.
Sue Gliva, a board member for Inver Grove Heights schools, said she has “deep disappointment” over Lynch’s behavior.
Both she and Sethre asked city officials to make public how much money the city spent since the allegations against Lynch first surfaced.
“While I’m not speaking for the entire school board, I personally feel that Mr. Lynch is not fulfilling the expectation in the workplace and that now the public display of his actions is something that cannot be overlooked,” she said. “I urge you to seriously consider his future employment. We could do better. The community deserves better and the city staff deserves better as they are the most intimately affected.”
Regina Barr, a former state representative whose district included Inver Grove Heights, called upon the city council to create a plan to “improve the work culture and the work environment so that these negative behaviors and costly employee matters do not occur again.”
Lynch, city administrator since 2006, did not immediately return a call Tuesday seeking comment about the residents’ remarks.
Mayor George Tourville also did not return a call for comment.
City Attorney Tim Kuntz said that Lynch’s annual job performance review is scheduled for Sept. 9 at City Hall. Employee job performance evaluations are not open to the public, he added.