By Terry Witt – Spotlight Senior Reporter

            Williston City Manager Jackie Gorman submitted her resignation Thursday afternoon just a day after she took a public thrashing from council members for mismanaging the city and angering and alienating all city employees.

            The resignation is effective on Sept. 16.

            “This will allow me to get through most of the budget process and clean up some of the unfinished business,” she said in her letter of resignation. “I have loved working for Williston and want the best for all the employees. Thank you for your support these past four years.”

            Gorman and Deputy City Manager/Human Resources Director Deanna Nelson had been scheduled to be fired at the Sept. 6 city council meeting. The council agreed without a formal vote at a Wednesday special meeting to make the terminations part of the Sept. 6 council meeting agenda.

            Councilwoman Marguerite Robinson wanted to fire the administrators Wednesday night and tried to make a motion to that effect, but City Attorney Scott Walker suggested waiting for the next regular council meeting on Sept. 6. He wanted to assure adequate public notice and protect due process for the two employees.

            Robinson amended her statement to say that the termination of Gorman and Nelson would take place at the Sept. 6 council meeting. She instructed City Clerk Latricia Wright to place the terminations on the agenda of that meeting for council action.

            Council President Debra Jones announced Gorman’s resignation at the end of a budget workshop Thursday. She said the council would take action on the resignation at the Sept. 6 council meeting. When Jones was asked after the workshop about Nelson’s termination, she said the agenda item for Sept. 6 pertained only to Gorman. Robinson, standing at her side, corrected her, saying her instructions were for both administrators to be terminated at the same meeting.  Robinson said the termination of Nelson will remain part of the Sept. 6 agenda.

            Nelson was harshly criticized by council members for an incident in mid-July when she reportedly ripped off a face mask and put her face within a few inches of Fire Chief Lamar Stegall to confront him. The incident reportedly took place at the staff meeting. Gorman sat on Stegall’s complaint rather than taking action against Nelson. Stegall’s complaint said the verbal assault created a hostile work atmosphere.

            The consensus of many in city government is that Nelson should have been fired by Gorman for misconduct and unethical behavior in connection with the July incident. Human resource directors are expected to show neutrality and listen to employees, not turn on them in anger. Spotlight has been told that employees were afraid to speak to Nelson about personal issues for fear she would go straight to Gorman with what they told her, violating confidentiality.

            Gorman was heavily criticized for promoting Nelson to deputy city manager and allowing Nelson to keep the human resources position. Critics said there was no way for Nelson to separate herself as an HR director from her senior management position as the deputy city manager. When the two positions were merged into one after her promotion, she became far more powerful than before when she was simply the HR director.

            Critics also charged that Gorman bypassed a requirement of the Human Resources Manual to advertise the vacant deputy city manager’s position internally. She simply promoted Nelson to the position, effectively barring other senior department heads in city government from applying for the position. It was another point of friction with city employees that eventually boiled over into a full revolt.

            Employees eventually began approaching city council members at their homes and offices to complain about Gorman and Nelson. The employees didn’t feel comfortable coming to City Hall to lodge formal complaints for fear of retaliation. Robinson said employees were aware that Gorman lives down the street from her and they feared their vehicles would be seen if they visited her residence. They were forced to communicate with her in other ways, such as phone calls and emails, to avoid being seen with the councilwoman.

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City of Williston Budget Meeting August 18, 2022; Posted August 18, 2022