Beaufort County finds fired leader’s grievance ‘justified,’ but administrator rejects it
Beaufort County’s former second in command was “justified” in his grievance against his boss, complaining of a hostile and abusive work environment, a committee of county employees unanimously found. But County Administrator Ashley Jacobs, who has final say, has rejected the committee’s determination, according to two letters obtained by The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette.
In the documents, Jacobs lambastes former Deputy Administrator Chris Inglese and overrules the unanimous vote by a committee of four employees for his grievance. Both the committee and Jacobs agreed that Inglese should not be reinstated to his old job, according to the documents, but said he may apply for other government positions in the county.
Jacobs said Inglese did not tell the truth during his closed-door grievance hearing on July 30. She accuses her former second in command of “poor judgment” and “incompetence,” according to the documents. However, she offered to write Inglese a letter of recommendation for another job.
Jacobs, through county spokesperson Liz Farrell, declined to comment on and confirm the existence of the two letters. Inglese confirmed that he received the two letters in the mail but would not comment further.
Inglese, who was fired by Jacobs in June, accused his former boss of creating a hostile and abusive work environment and intentionally trying to make several employees “miserable enough” that they would leave.
In the grievance, presented last month to the committee, Inglese asked for his job back.
A day after the hearing, the committee of employees — Detention Center Administrative Supervisor Theresa Williams, IT Technician Dan Anderson, Zoning Analyst Tamekia Judge and Special Projects Engineer Tanner Powell — voted 4-0 that Inglese’s grievance against Jacobs was “justified,” according to the documents.
However, the committee stated that Inglese should not be reinstated to his position as deputy administrator and instead should be offered a “different position within the county.”
The document does not say what was discussed during the hearing.
According to the county’s employee handbook, Jacobs has final say on the grievance committee’s findings, a power that Inglese previously described as unfair.
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In a letter to Inglese dated Aug. 10, Jacobs, who was not present at the grievance hearing, writes that she reviewed the recording of the hearing and believed Inglese “misstated or misrepresented a number of matters.”
Among her accusations, Jacobs states that Inglese took credit for several projects that weren’t his and misquoted or lied about her during the hearing.
She also denies that she told Inglese she promoted him because she “needed a Sicilian to do the dirty work,” according to the letter.
“These misrepresentations confirm my initial decision to ask for your resignation,” the letter says. “For these reasons, I find that your grievance was not justified. I concur with the Committee that you should not be reinstated.”
Before the hearing on July 30, Inglese said the grievance process was stacked against him and called Jacobs “the criminal, the prosecutor, the jury and the executioner.”
At the end of her Aug. 10 letter, Jacobs says she is aware that Inglese applied for a job in the county’s Public Defender’s Office.
“I am willing to provide a recommendation for that position. Please let me know if you would like for me to do so.”
Inglese would not say whether he plans to take Jacobs up on her offer.
