2/3/1993 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

November 3, 1992 determination and the January 19, 1993 appeal request is related to Mr. Hallquist's change in legal counsel from James Wilson to Wayne McDonough, who requested today's appeal. However, we were notified by phone yesterday that Attorney McDonough would not be here and that Mr. Hallquist would be representing himself. That is a thumbnail sketch of the events that took place. The actual basis for the discharge was under County Personnel Rules and Regulations, Section 12.21, Group III Offense #11, which reads: "Immoral, unlawful or improper conduct, or indecency, either on or off the job, which would tend to affect the employee's relationship to the job, fellow workers, reputation _.or goodwill in the community." Attorney Vitunac then swore in the following witnesses: Pegi Wilkes, Acting County Recreation Director; Pat Callahan, County Recreation Director; Jack Price, County Personnel Director; Jim Chandler, County Administrator; and appellant Jon Hallquist. With that, Attorney Collins asked Ms. Wilkes to read into the record the following termination letter of September 21, 1992: September 21, 1992 Mr. Jon M. Hallquist 306 Anchor Way Fort Pierce, Florida 34946 Dear Mr. Hallquist, The purpose of this letter is to confirm the decision by Indian River County to terminate your employment effective September 18. This documents that event, of which you were advised verbally on that date by your supervisor, Recreation Director Callahan. During the week of September 14, 1992, Mrs. Callahan was made aware of serious concerns by a number of your subordinate lifeguards about the integrity of the lifeguard operation. Those concerns focused on the erosion of patrol quality and a threat to the reputation of the lifeguard service resulting from alleged drug use by you and one of the lifeguards. Several meetings with the lifeguards and with you privately resulted in one conclusion. You have a lengthy history of off -the - job drug use, as you stated in meetings with Mrs. Callahan and later with Mrs. Callahan and Jack Price from Personnel. Of great significance is that you communicated no interest in stopping your use of drugs, but rather justified that practice to Mrs. Callahan. Your job is a public safety position. I am convinced that public safety and the overall effectiveness of the lifeguard service are threatened by your actions. Under the policy of Indian River County, the category of "offenses" established as Group III, are those which may result in discharge for the first occurrence. I believe this situation warrants that action because two of those offenses are directly applicable. 3 BOOK 8$ PAGE 735