By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Two ex-employees from the Barton County Attorney's Office appeared before the board of commissioners Tuesday morning to address concerns over their terminations last Friday. Sondra Robinson and Sandra Cruz had a combined 11 years of experience in the office, mainly as clerks who handled filings in criminal cases. Cruz was surprised when she and Robinson were terminated by County Attorney Levi Morris last week.
"Last Friday, we were terminated without any reason whatsoever," she said. "This came as a surprise to us because we were never told or given any warning about our job performance."
Commissioner Shawn Hutchinson explained that the board of commissioners could do little about the situation because the county attorney is an elected official.
"When you're dealing with an elected official's department," he said, "the county commission does not control the hiring and firing of that department, or the elected official themselves."
Robinson began her tenure in the office under former County Attorney Amy Mellor. She spoke of a toxic work environment under Morris and said many in the office expressed similar sentiments in a questionnaire Morris gave his employees.
"The overwhelming response within the office was about the toxic work environment we were all being expected to work under," she said. "Brenda (Kaiser) with Human Resources was notified of the problem in the office and offered to help. Levi said that HR is a joke, and that Brenda is worthless and will not be coming into his office. The environment has never improved."
Robinson said three years ago, she approached Morris about the working conditions in the office and how they were spreading to other organizations with which the county attorney's office works.
"He told me not to be a snowflake," she told the commission. "Afterward, he told me to no longer come into his office and bother him, and that any further communication needed to be through email or instant messenger. So for the last three years, as his criminal clerk, I have done my job with little to no contact with him."
Robinson's chief complaint Tuesday was that she and Cruz were fired without cause.
"At this point, I just want the commissioners to know that Levi did also not follow county policy while terminating us," she said. "We have never had verbal warning, never any written warnings or suspensions. Just the first of April, when he moved things around, he told me I have done nothing wrong."
She said having been terminated, she felt it was important now to say what she has been unable to say before.
"Levi might say I'm a disgruntled employee," Robinson said. "But in fact, my firing has given me the opportunity to now have a voice in the community to let people know what's going on.
"We've done a great job. We are respected by the judges. We were respected by the defense counsel. But we could never say anything. It was our opportunity, knowing this meeting was coming up, to let you know what was going on and to let the community know what's going on was important for us."
Commission Chair Barb Esfeld bristled at the idea that elected officials do not have bosses.
"Elected officials, including us, are touchable," she said. "I hate it when I hear that. We answer to every taxpayer. We have more bosses. We don't serve because of ourselves."
Because the matter pertains to personnel, county officials are unable to comment, including Morris.
"Because this matter involves a non-elected employee or former employee, I cannot comment," he said. "There are details in the situation which I am not able to share."