Fired manager disputes allegations
Wilkinsburg mayor says funds misused
Harassment complaints from several employees and an accusation of mishandling borough funds has led to the dismissal of Wilkinsburg’s borough manager, Mayor Marita Garrett said.
But ex-manager Donn R. Henderson — who served in the position since June 2016 — denies the accusations, saying he neither “mishandled” funds nor was made aware of harassment claims against him, saying Wednesday he was “blindsided” to learn about the allegations.
Mr. Henderson was officially terminated by borough council on June 9. The action was taken, Ms. Garrett said, after at least seven borough employees filed harassment complaints against him. She also said he transferred an undisclosed amount of money from the Wilkinsburg Police Department to the borough’s general fund.
“The main reason he was fired is because he has been accused of intimidating and harassing female employees,” Ms. Garrett said Wednesday. Prior to Mr. Henderson’s termination, Ms. Garrett said she and Wilkinsburg police Chief Ophelia Coleman called a meeting with female staff members to share their experiences and complaints about Mr. Henderson.
Chief Coleman could not be immediately reached for comment.
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“Many people have had bad experiences with him, and we’ve lost a lot of good people because of him,” Ms. Garrett said.
The termination, which Mr. Henderson said was an “amicable separation agreement,” was publicly announced during a council meeting last week.
He said he believes he was terminated for two reasons: a disagreement about his decision to allow an employee who tested negative for COVID-19 to return to work earlier this month and confusion behind the recent purchase of a police car, which he says he had minimal part in beyond signing the check.
“As borough manager, I regularly had to reprimand people, although it was rare,” Mr. Henderson said. “I don’t believe this was investigated thoroughly. I was not questioned by police. Part of being the boss is you’re sometimes firm with people. I had to make it clear that my decision [regarding the employee] was final, and another employee did not like my decision.
“Regarding the police funds, the money is still there. This is just about where the money came out of to pay for a police car. There’s something called equitable sharing funds, which the borough sits on [and] that can be used to pay for many things. But it has to be approved by the police chief. It is my understanding that the chief and finance director had decided which funds the police car would be paid out of.”
Mr. Henderson, who previously served as borough manager in Charleroi, said he has more than 25 years of experience in politics.
“I know how [politics] works, so I was simply willing to leave,” he said. “It’s just the way it is. I was never even questioned about the harassment claims or anything. If these accusations were so serious, shouldn’t I have been questioned?”
Ms. Garrett said Mr. Henderson should face repercussions in addition to the loss of his job.
“Yes, he was terminated, but I feel there needs to be some repercussions for this,” Ms. Garrett said. “I don’t want this happening to another community. The thing about borough managers is there are so few out there that people get desperate to have them. I hope council takes this seriously.”
A search of court records showed no criminal charges have been filed against Mr. Henderson.