June

30th, 2014

Good Afternoon Mayor and Commission,


My name is Dejenaba Wedemier, I began my career with the City of Lauderdale
Lakes on June 17th, 2013 in the Financial Services Department as the Procurement
Agent for the City of Lauderdale Lakes. I came to the City of Lauderdale Lakes
knowing that there was no procurement agent there for 2 years and that I would
basically have to start from scratch to get the City back on the right path regarding
purchasing practices. I worked hard and diligently to get the departments and staff
back to following the rules, regulations and the Procurement Code governing the
purchasing practices of the City. Within the first couple of months of my
employment I started to recognize that the Financial Services Department was
primarily divided into two main cliques/circles. I started to experience and feel a
tug-a-war effect between the two circles because I was the new employee on the
block. On numerous occasions I witnessed the Financial Services Director making
negative comments about the Financial Services Manager; and the manager making
negative comments about the Director. Comments were being tossed at me from
both sides of the cliques/circles referencing you have to pick a side type
comments. I am accustom to a professional work environment and I refused to take
any side and decided not to get into the middle of the departments existing feuds
and issues which existed before my employment. I am a leader and me taking this
stance made me an outsider/outcast in the eyes of my co-workers. I expressed that I
wanted the opportunity to see each individual for themselves, not relying and
basing my feelings of others, on hear say. Me being in this type of divided, negative,
hostile work environment made me begin to withdraw myself from Financial
Services staff in extra-curricular conversations that were outside the purview of
work. I worked and corresponded with everyone regarding work related tasks and
items.

The administrative assistant Brenda Carter was verbally abrasive, snappish and
aggressive on several occasions with me between August through October 2013
timeframe. I had a meeting with the Financial Services Director on October 31st,
2013 to discuss the numerous occasions where I brought these issues to my
directors attention with no resolve. I contacted the City Manager in November 2013
to advise him of what has been transpiring in the Financial Services department.
The City Manager listened to the issues and my concerns and advised me that he will
contact Human Resources to deal with the issues.

Earlier this year 2014 the City Manager had a meeting with the Financial Services
Department and indicated his expectation of our department regarding our quality
of work, getting projects completed and working as a team. Sometime after that
meeting the Financial Services Director and Financial Services Manager indicated
that the City Manager is displeased with the department as a whole and that we
need to start working as a team; otherwise the Financial Services Department may

be in jeopardy of being outsourced in a meeting in March 2014. At this meeting I

expressed to them how their feuds has affected me and they indicated that they are
working on working through their differences to become a team.

At a Financial Services staff meeting in March 2014 it was announced that the
financial services department would be attending a mediated session to lay all the
issues on the table and to get to the root of some of the issues within the Financial
Services Department. I thought to myself, finally, the Financial Services Department
could get everything out, to begin working as a team. This meeting was postponed a
few times due to scheduling conflicts within the department. Finally, the mediated
Team Building Session was scheduled for June 20th, 2014 from 10:00am to 2:00pm
in the EOC Building in City Hall with the company CMA Enterprises.

In mid May 2014 I began having some medical issues and I was coming to work sick
everyday for weeks. I went to see my primary care doctor on May 21st as my
condition began to worsen, my doctor recommended that I take some time off work
to rest and recuperate. I contacted my Director via text and she indicated to send the
doctors note directly to Human Resources. I was out sick on May 21, 22 and 23,
2014 and had a doctors note excusing my absences sent to Human Resources. This
is when I really noticed/felt things beginning to shift/change in the department for me.
When I returned to work on Tuesday, May 27th, 2014 I noticed a meeting was
scheduled for me to attend a How to deal with employees and stress in the
workplace type class which was scheduled for May 22nd while I was out sick. A
meeting was scheduled on May 28th from 9-10AM with the Financial Services
Director and the Financial Services Manager. At this meeting they discuss my time
off was affecting my work, which it wasnt. They also implemented some new rules,
which only applies to me: I cannot work from home anymore, and If I need to call in
sick I must do so 60 minutes before work. They never mentioned or rescheduled
the How to deal with employees and stress in the workplace type class which was
scheduled for May 22nd when I was out sick. Due to them never previously brining
up any issues to my attention, never explaining why this class was sent to me, or not
rescheduling or mentioning the class again; I thought the class was sent to me in
error.

From time-to-time some of the Financial Services staff would walk by my office
making negative comments to me like She need to go back to the County, I hate
her, etc and I never did anything to anyone to make them feel this way about me. I
stay to myself and did my work. In a meeting, I spoke to staff about having mutual
respect for one another in the workplace. Being in this type of work environment
was mentally draining me.

My professional development work plan was given to me on Friday, June 6th, 2014
for my review. I reviewed it on the same day and had several comments and
reservations regarding some of the items listed therein. My comments were
reviewed in a meeting with my Director and Manager on Monday, June 9th, 2014 and
I was not satisfied with the outcome or responses received from my Director in the

meeting. I wasnt comfortable with some of the items listed and my Director
indicated that no additional edits will be done to my professional work plan and it
will become effective June 10th, 2014. I contacted the City Manager for further
clarification on Monday, June 9th, 2014 and still had some reservations regarding the
content. My Director told me on June 10th, 2014 that I need to sign the document for
it will be in effect and implemented as of June 10th, 2014 so I signed it thinking that I
had too.

I texted my Director on June 19th, 2014 in the AM and indicated that I have a doctors
appointment at 4:00 PM on June 20th, 2014, my Director responded back twice
requesting that I reschedule my appointment. I indicated that I wouldnt be able to
get another appointment for weeks and I need to take care of my health. My director
indicated that the Team Building Session was on the same day but I couldnt see
the conflict because the Team Building Session was scheduled from 10:00AM to
2:00PM and my appointment was at 4:00PM. Shortly after speaking with the
Director via text the Financial Services Manager sent a meeting request on June 19th,
2014 in the AM to meet from 1:30 to 2:00PM for scheduling request to discuss my
doctors appointment. Immediately after viewing the meeting request to discuss my
appointment, I went to Human Resources and spoke with the HR Director regarding
the Financial Services Director/Manager scheduling meetings to discuss my
appointments/time off. I also told the HR Director that there are serious
communication/team issues within the Financial Services Department that were
there before my employment and I dont want to get into the middle of that. The HR
Director gave me some FMLA documents to take to my doctors appointment on
June 20th, 2014 at 4:00PM. The HR Director indicated that she would speak to the
Financial Services Director and Manager regarding my appointment because she
didnt see the conflict because the Team Building Session was scheduled from
10:00AM to 2:00PM. Right before the end of the workday on June 19th, 2014 an
email correspondence was sent out to all of Financial Services staff of the new
location of the Team Building Session will be at the Lauderdale Lakes Community
Council Center.

June 20th, 2014 I went to work as normal and left City Hall around 9:40 to drive to
the Lauderdale Lakes Community Council Center. As I walked into the Lauderdale
Lakes Community Council Center I was taking notice of the facility and the setup of
this session. My first thoughts were that the session was set-up in a classroom type
setting and not a round table, group or face-to-face interactive type setting which is
conducive of discussing issues. As I approached the seating, I said good morning to
the facilitator of the session, immediately after the Financial Services Director said
aloud that there are gift bags in front of each seat and one has my initials on it please
find your gift bag. So I walked around in search of my initials DW and I couldnt
find it. The Financial Services Director then showed me the gift bag with an upside
down D written on it; which was confusing me because it was written upside
down and she indicated thats where I sit. We had assigned seats. The session began
with everyone introducing himself or herself. Throughout the session I had to
excuse myself from the session a couple of times to use the restroom due to me

being ill. I also asked the Financial Services Directors permission to get my bottle of
water out of my car because there were no water cooler or refreshments provided,
at that time. The facilitator placed us in groups so we could participate in a group
activity. All the groups participated in this learning exercise, we read cards, we
discussed the roles of the cards, laughed, smiled until the exercise was complete.
The facilitator gave us a 10minute break around noon and I was very intrigued and
fascinated by her work so I went over to her and had a brief conversation with her.
We discussed how she got into her line of work and what made her want to become
an entrepreneur and I just listened and took in the information. I saw another staff
member approaching her so I excused myself and went outside for the remaining
break time. The session re-adjourned and lunch was then delivered and served. The
Financial Services Director asked can someone bless the food and as always, I
volunteered and prayed over the food. As soon as staff received their lunch, the
facilitator continued the session while we were eating. I got up a few times to get
napkins and to use the restroom. I didnt have the opportunity to finish my lunch.
The facilitator then asked everyone to get up from our seats and go to the front of
the building where the facilitator had set-up another exercise to learn how to map
out a process. We were all standing and were given a script of seventeen task items
on a sheet of paper. We were asked to write down the tasks on sticky notes and to
place the note task on the process map. The Director and another staff member
were off to the side talking amongst themselves and making subliminal comments
aloud that had no relation to the session/exercise, while the exercise was taking
place; which was distracting to me. I was also feeling ill with an upset stomach from
having to eat my lunch so quickly and I forgot to take my medication. It was my turn
to add my tasks to the process map and so I did. The facilitator indicated to
everyone that there are multiple tasks in each of her sticky notes. I concurred that I
noticed this and I wasnt aware that I was suppose to break it down so specifically
because everyone else had tasks that were simple (one task per sticky note). My
task items were a little more complex than everyone elses, because each of my tasks
had multiple responsibility tasks within each task item itself. The facilitator said the
task items needed to be split out and two staff members yelled out loud to just rip
the stick note in half the facilitator didnt object so I thought it was ok, so thats
what I did. After we got to the end of the mapping exercise, the facilitator went back
to the beginning of the mapping process to review. When the facilitator got back to
my sticky notes, she indicated that it wasnt clear and she asked me to re-write two
of them and I did. After this exercise was over, the facilitator thanked us for
attending and the Financial Services Manager made a closing speech around
2:30PM. I thought to myself that we learned a lot about different personality types
and how to map out a process but we didnt discuss any of the issues within the
department. I left promptly because I had to immediately get back to the office (City
Hall) to get ready for a bid opening at 3:00PM. I attended the bid opening and
immediately went to my scheduled/approved doctors appointment at 4:00PM.

Note: Throughout the Team Building Session and the process mapping exercise
residents were looking into the windows of the facility and coming in to ask, Is this
the probation office each time this occurred the session was disrupted and we had

to give the residents directions of where the new office is located. This happened a
half a dozen times throughout the day of this session.

On June 25th, 2014 in the AM I noticed a meeting request was sent to me (only) with
the subject of the meeting meeting to discuss feedback from the facilitator of the
Financial Services Team Building Exercise and the required attendees of this
meeting was Marie Elianor, Jonathan Allen, DAndrea Gibbens-Jones, Chandra Grace-
Williams and myself. I thought to myself, why am I the only staff member in this
meeting? So I immediately called the Financial Services Director to ask and she
replied that the facilitator only had comments regarding me. I got off the phone
feeling puzzled because the session went well to me. I thought, What could this be
about? The meeting was scheduled for June 25th, 2014 from 4:00PM 5:00PM. The
meeting began at 4:30 and the City Manager read the facilitators comments to me;
the comments indicating that I was the nastiest person she has ever meet in her
life, I was rude and disruptive in the session. I was shocked when I heard those
comments and thought that they were pulling a practical joke on me, at first. I said
I have been to many seminars, classes, courses in my days and I have never
received comments like that EVER or negative feedback PERIOD. I began to explain
that I have been ill for the past weeks and that I wasnt feeling well towards the end
of the session. The City Manager, Financial Services Director and the Human
Resources Director then began to discuss my professional development work plan
and that I violated item #5 on the list. I indicated that I didnt feel that I was being
nasty, rude or disruptive; that I participated, laughed, had one-on-one conversation
with the facilitator, prayed over the food and simply didnt feel well and maybe it
was misinterpreted/misunderstood. I also indicated that I would take this situation
as constructive criticism for the future. The City Manager indicated that they are
awaiting the facilitators final recommendations and that he values her opinions.
The City Manager asked me if I had any final remarks and I indicated yes I do. I
began to explain to the City Manager that from the inception of my employment I
have had to overcome certain obstacles, situations and boundaries in dealing with
the Financial Services Director and Manager, that I was placed in tug-a-war
situations which made me feel uncomfortable, that the Financial Services
Department had issues and was operating in a non-team atmosphere and that the
department is just beginning to build a real team structure I also told the City
Manager that the leadership in the department was lacking but I tried to do my best
despite the circumstances. The meeting adjourned with tears in my eyes

June 26th, 2014 in the AM I was so sad/disturbed and unsettled by the facilitators
comments that I felt that the noble thing to do is to contact her to apologize. As a
part of my job as a procurement agent I am responsible for maintaining the vendor
database. I searched for her company profile and no contact phone number was
listed. So on my lunch break I found her business profile online and her phone
number was listed. I contacted the facilitator and began to clarify that I was ill and I
apologized several times throughout the conversation. The facilitator accepted my
apology and said that I need to be careful of how I may come across and that she
feels that I have a lot of potential I thanked her for listening and for accepting my

apology and the conversation ended. I went back to work feeling better about the
situation.

The Financial Services Director came to my office at 3:45PM and indicated that I
need to attend the follow-up meeting at 4:00PM in the City Managers office. I went
to the City Managers office at 4:00PM where DAndrea Gibbens-Jones and Marie
Elianor was present. I sat down and DAndrea Gibbens-Jones began to explain that
the facilitator contacted her and indicated that I called to apologize. I concurred
that is the noble thing to do but DAndrea Gibbens-Jones felt otherwise. I was told
that I have two options 1) resign and get one months pay or 2) the City is serving my
employment and will receive two weeks pay. DAndrea Gibbens-Jones indicated
that, either way my employment is being terminated and that I have until noon on
June 27th, 2014 to make my decision. She told me that I can gather my belongings
now or she will bring them to me and she asked me for my keys. I packed my
belongings and left City Hall. At this meeting I did not receive a suspension,
dismissal, termination letter.

On June 27th, 2014 at 11:58AM I sent an email correspondence to DAndrea Gibbens-
Jones, Marie Elianor, Jonathan Allen and Mr. James Brady an email requesting a copy
of the employee handbook, the grievance process and the form for the grievance
process and I awaited a response but never received one.

On July 3rd, 2014 at 1:00PM I still hadnt received a response regarding the
grievance process, nor did I receive a letter of my dismissal/termination of
employment. So I decided to go to City Hall to obtain a letter regarding my
dismissal/termination. I got there at 1:30 PM and told the receptionist that I need to
speak to Marie Elianor or DAndrea Gibbens-Jones. The receptionist called them and
indicated that they were both in a meeting and I indicated that I would wait. One
hour and thirty minutes passed and no one had come to talk to me or to find out
what I needed. Danny Holmes came into the City Hall conference room where I was
waiting and I told Mr. Holmes I come in peace, Im here for my
dismissal/termination letter because I never received it on June 26th, 2014 when
DAndrea and Marie severed my employment. He went to find them and he
indicated that Marie doesnt want to meet with me and DAndrea was not in the
office. I indicated to Mr. Holmes the receptionist just said they were both in a
meeting together and that I dont necessarily need to meet with them I just need
my letter. Mr. Holmes advised me that he will make certain that I receive the letter
before 5PM today. I indicated why cant someone just make me a copy, I need to
know whats going on. Mr. Holmes then advised me to leave City Hall that staff
already called BSO. I told the officer, I need to obtain my dismissal/termination
letter and I been waiting here for almost two hours. I obtained a police report
number and left City Hall. I went home and DAndrea Gibbens-Jones emailed me a
copy of the letter around 5PM.

In reading my termination letter, it indicates that I am currently suspended without

pay, I was never told this at the meeting on June 26th, 2014 at 4:00PM when I was
given my two options to resign or the City will terminate. My request for the form to
begin the grievance process shows my intent that I do not intend to resign. I wasnt
aware that suspension was an option since DAndrea Gibbens-Jones indicated on
June 26th, 2014 at 4:00PM that either way my employment was being
severed/terminated.

Mayor and Commission I am asking for your reconsideration of my position. I have
never been warned; I have never been written up or suspended from my job. I never
thought, in my wildest dreams, that me contacting CMA Enterprises to apologize
would in turn cost me my employment with the City. I thought that apologizing was
the right and noble thing to do. I feel horrible and sick to my stomach about this
whole situation. Mayor and Commission please reconsider my employment with the
City.


I can be contacted at d_wedemier@yahoo.com or 954-670-7713.


Sincerely,

Dejenaba Wedemier