Bronson Clerk Shirley Miller said her resignation wasn’t triggered by one person or a single incident. It was largely the result of an unhealthy work environment.

By Terry Witt – Spotlight Senior Reporter

                Former Bronson Town Clerk Shirley Miller said Tuesday she resigned from her job as the city’s top administrator for a multitude of reasons but primarily because the work environment in Town Hall was the worst she had ever experienced.

            “This is the most difficult environment and unhealthy environment I’ve ever worked in, in my life. I would really like to go to a place somewhere that I can work and be appreciated,” she said. ”I am a hard worker and I love to enjoy what I am doing, but I don’t like people saying slander publicly and I certainly don’t want to be there because I’ve never done anything but completely do my job exactly what was expected of me and how it was expected of me.”

            The interview took place a day after Tri-County NAACP President Al Carnegie stood before the town and said he wanted to know if there had been any changes in Councilman Berlon Weeks’ attitude toward employees, including Miller.

            “I am here with concerns from the last meeting about Mr. Weeks and his attitude causing the clerk Shirley Miller to resign – hostile environment,” Carnegie said. “I want to follow up to what was done, what actions were taken; I understood you got together and he (Weeks) couldn’t go to City Hall.”

            Miller, who resigned effective June 12, had missed a few days of work to go out of town for a death in her family. When she came back to town, she worked through June 17 to make up the lost time. She wasn’t present for Monday’s council meeting when Carnegie spoke, but she said incidents of that type, in which a council member was confronted publicly about her resignation, factored into her decision to resign.

            “This is part of the reason I just don’t want to be here anymore. Do you realize just how unpleasant this is? Do you get that? You know how I am. I don’t like to speak evil of people in public. If a have a problem with an individual I’ll speak to them individually,” Miller said.

            Carnegie had previously approached the council about an incident involving Weeks in Town Hall.  Weeks had confronted Miller in Town Hall and publicly criticized her in front of town staff. Weeks issued a public apology. Carnegie said female staff in Town Hall, including Miller, were so frightened by the incident that they asked Public Works Director Curtis Stacy to stand guard at the door.

            Responding to Carnegie’s question, Mayor Beatrice Roberts said Weeks agreed not to return to Town Hall and the town had installed security cameras in the work areas of the building to prevent future incidents of this nature from happening again, but she said there was nothing more the council could legally do about the confrontation involving Weeks.

            Weeks said the incident occurred because Miller had taken it upon herself to apply for a state road grant without bringing the matter to the council for discussion. He said he was frustrated because this type of decision-making impacts the town. Miller said her job description specifically allows her to seek and apply for grants that are in the town’s best interests. She said the town council always has the final say on whether to accept the grant. She said she consulted her direct supervisor, Roberts, before filing the grant application. The mayor of Bronson supervises all department heads.

            Weeks said he voluntarily agreed not to return to Town Hall.

            In the interview Tuesday, Miller was told that Carnegie specifically stated in the council meeting the previous evening that her resignation was triggered by Weeks. Spotlight was aware that there might be broader reasons for the resignation. In a May 27 email to Spotlight founder Linda Cooper, Miller explained why the town continues to lose staff.

            “The workload is daunting, but the work environment, lack of support and tools to do our jobs correctly, and most of all the way we are undervalued and treated by some members of our leadership team,” Miller said. “The very ones we should be able to go to for support, encouragement, and help.”

            Miller adopted a similar stance when asked in the interview if Weeks was the reason she resigned. She said it wasn’t one thing or one council member that triggered her resignation.

            “There were just a lot of things that went into my final decision, and my final decision is you know what, I’m going to do what’s best for me and I wish the town all the best and if there’s anything I can do to help Melisa (Cook, deputy-clerk) in the interim I have agreed to do that for her and with her and I guess I can leave it at that,” Miller said. “I just want to leave here on good terms with everyone, but the way we’re going it is disheartening. I certainly hope it changes because Bronson has a lot to offer, so when we get out of our way, we can start growing.”

Asphalt Millings Controversy

            Carnegie also asked Roberts to clarify whether there had been problems with the disappearance of asphalt millings that had been piled up after the paving of Picnic Street.

            Roberts said the town council had agreed to use the millings to pave the street of resident Geraldine Johnson, but when she went out to check on the millings, everything was gone except for a small pile. She said she was upset.

            She said it turns out, unknown to her, the city’s contract with Hipp Construction, the company that paved Picnic Street, gave the millings to the company. She said standard practice in the past was for the town to retain ownership of the millings. She said former Public Works Director Eric Wise explained to her that Hipp Construction had the right to sell the millings.

             As it turned out, Bronson businessman Tony Weeks wrote out a check to purchase four loads of asphalt millings to spread on his driveway. Councilman Berlon Weeks added that he wasn’t a member of the council at the time his father legally bought the millings. Carnegie said he purposely didn’t mention any names when he was asking questions about what happened to the millings.

            Councilman Robert Partin said he investigated and found that the sale of millings to Tony Weeks was legal.

            “I went to Mr. (Tony) Weeks to confirm he purchased it. He showed me the check and I contacted Hipp. They said, yes, they sold it to (Weeks) and dispersed the rest of it,” Partin said. “That’s the only problem we have here is someone didn’t follow through on the contract, and it (the contract) wasn’t more specific on the details, and that’s all it is, it’s a pure misunderstanding.”

            At Tuesday’s meeting, the council voted to hire Jimmie Jerrels Hauling and Grading to pave Pine Drive, Pine Lane, and Pine Terrace with asphalt millings. The low bid was for $20,625. Geraldine Johnson lives on one of those streets. The three lime rock streets connect to form one winding city street.

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Town of Bronson Regular Meeting June 15, 2020; Posted June 18, 2020