Fargo finance chief has history of yelling, creating toxic work environment, records show

FARGO — The town of Fargo’s finance director employed lower than a yr in the past has a documented historical past of complaints associated to yelling at staff and making a poisonous work surroundings, in keeping with personnel recordsdata obtained by The Discussion board by public information requests.

Finance Director Terri Gayhart was put

on paid administrative depart

on March 31 by Fargo Metropolis Administrator Michael Redlinger, in keeping with metropolis information.

Redlinger wrote a letter to Gayhart on March 31 earlier than an inside investigation of her started, saying: “We might be conducting an investigation into stories of a poisonous work surroundings inside the finance division, in addition to poor efficiency because the finance director.”

The Fargo Metropolis Fee

chosen Gayhart from a area of 18 candidates. In April 2022, a 10-member choice committee interviewed her and requested management, technical and behavioral questions.

When requested if Fargo leaders had been conscious of Gayhart’s prior work complaints earlier than hiring her, metropolis spokesman Gregg Schildberger stated town used the providers of an government search agency to recruit, display screen and carry out a background examine on Gayhart.

Schildberger declined to remark additional due to the continuing investigation, however he stated town “routinely conducts complete prescreening and background checks” on folks they rent.

The Discussion board filed public information requests with three of the cities the place Gayhart was beforehand employed: Mount Nice, Wisconsin; Odessa, Texas; and Las Cruces, New Mexico; and moreover with town of Fargo.

Gayhart’s resume exhibits that she took a job as finance director and treasurer for town of Burlington, Wisconsin, from 2000 to 2006. She then grew to become a controller from 2006 to 2013 at Milwaukee Space Technical Faculty. She later grew to become the finance director for the village of Mount Nice from 2013 to 2015, and held the identical title in Odessa from 2015 till 2019.

From 2019 till 2021, Gayhart labored because the finance director for Las Cruces, and later because the finance director for the American Quarter Horse Affiliation in Amarillo, Texas, earlier than transferring to Fargo.

The Discussion board’s makes an attempt to contact Gayhart by cellphone and e mail for touch upon this story had been unsuccessful.

In Could 2022, Gayhart changed longtime Fargo finance director Kent Costin, who retired. Gayhart was employed with an annual wage of $169,215.

As finance director, Gayhart is certainly one of 23 members of the Mayor’s Cupboard. Her tasks embody budgeting, monetary reporting, treasury, money administration, debt administration, accounting, particular evaluation administration, threat administration and pensions,

in keeping with town’s web site

.

The village of Mount Nice employed Gayhart on Nov. 12, 2013, in keeping with Mary Cole, Mount Nice’s human sources director.

In August 2015, village trustees went right into a closed-door session to speak about Gayhart’s employment, the

Racine County Eye

, an area newspaper, reported.

Gayhart’s employment with the village of Mount Nice ended on Aug. 7, 2015, Cole stated. It is unclear whether or not Gayhart stop or was fired.

In search of additional data on Gayhart’s departure from the Mount Nice job, The Discussion board filed a public information request with Cole. Cole stated no data might be launched till Gayhart’s statutory time-frame to evaluate the information had elapsed, which was anticipated to be in the midst of Could, as required by Wisconsin regulation.

Gayhart was employed by town of Odessa with an annual wage of $120,000. Lower than a yr into her employment, nevertheless, finance division staff filed complaints towards her, metropolis information present.

Three members of the finance division filed a grievance towards Gayhart and a private enchancment plan was made for Gayhart round October 2017, in keeping with metropolis information.

The private enchancment plan stipulated that Gayhart meet with metropolis administration by March 2018, and maintain particular person month-to-month conferences together with her senior workers for 12 months, in keeping with her personnel file.

Gayhart was ordered to maintain her workplace door open always, excluding confidential conferences. She was instructed to “by no means demean any worker, resident or anybody in a public/non-public setting,” in keeping with her personnel file.

Gayhart additionally was ordered to deal with her supervisor with respect, attend all metropolis of Odessa finance conferences, and full a web based management coaching course, or an enchancment plan.

In July 2018, Gayhart was concerned in a “loud yelling” incident within the division, in keeping with her personnel file.

Metropolis information point out that the yelling match was due to an e mail that Gayhart had despatched demanding that an worker go to human sources to straighten out a difficulty about being late to work.

The worker first yelled at Gayhart, and Gayhart yelled again a number of occasions, in keeping with the personnel file. The interim assistant metropolis supervisor reprimanded Gayhart for yelling on the worker.

After Gayhart went by the advance plan, an August 2018 metropolis of Odessa report included in her personnel file stated that when the plan was instituted she was upset with staff, needed to be director with out interference, and felt threatened “by others which have abilities and her place as a boss.”

All through 2017, nevertheless, she confirmed enchancment, in keeping with the advance plan report.

Annual efficiency evaluations of Gayhart in 2016 and 2018 accomplished by town of Odessa Human Assets Division listed her as exceeding necessities.

On March 25, 2019, Gayhart was introduced as the brand new director of economic providers for the

metropolis of Las Cruces

with an annual wage of about $132,500, and a relocation package deal of $8,500, in keeping with her personnel file.

Gayhart was employed from a pool of six folks after she scored the very best marks amongst all candidates, in keeping with Invoice Studer, assistant metropolis supervisor.

In March 2020, in the course of the begin of the coronavirus pandemic, Gayhart labored remotely, in keeping with her personnel file.

After a efficiency analysis in October 2020, Gayhart’s wage was elevated 2.5% to $135,813, in keeping with her personnel information.

On Could 5, 2021, Gayhart submitted a letter of resignation to town of Las Cruces. The letter didn’t clarify why she was leaving.

About 10 months after town of Fargo employed Gayhart as finance director, Redlinger despatched a letter placing her on administrative depart.

Points that Gayhart had been reported for included lack of management, disrespectful communication or the shortage of communication inside the staff, and a failure to interact with workers on important operational issues in a well timed method, the letter acknowledged.

On Feb. 1 and on Feb. 13, Redlinger, together with human sources administration, held conferences with Gayhart to specific their issues.

For the reason that conferences, “Members of the staff proceed to report issues concerning the work surroundings in addition to issues associated to important operational issues that you’ve got failed to offer route for or full your self,” Redlinger acknowledged within the letter.

It is unclear when the interior investigation might be accomplished.