Capitol staffer fired

The firing came as harassment concerns swirled around the employee.

A Republican legislative staffer was fired amid harassment concerns this month — the same day an open records request was filed asking for information about complaints against the aide.

Hariah Hutkowski, a staffer for state Rep. Jeremy Thiesfeldt (R-Fond du Lac), was dismissed May 3, Assembly Chief Clerk Patrick Fuller said.

That was the day the Journal Sentinel filed an open records request for employee complaints against Hutkowski as well as documents from investigations prompted by any complaints.

Concerns centered around comments Hutkowski made to female staffers, including criticizing what he considered immodest clothing.

Fuller said no formal complaints were filed against Hutkowski.

“However, the Wisconsin State Assembly did receive several informal concerns from various staff members related to Mr. Hutkowski,” Fuller wrote in a Thursday email.

Those concerns were shared with Thiesfeldt, and Hutkowski was “dismissed from his employment,” Fuller added.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (RRochester) said he didn’t order the firing, but he added that the choice was clear.

“(Thiesfeldt) definitely made the right decision for his office and the district,” Vos said Saturday at the GOP convention in Milwaukee.

Thiesfeldt, chairman of the Assembly Education Committee, refused to answer questions about Hutkowski’s firing or complaints against him, saying only that it was a “personnel issue.” He said such issues are not to be discussed with the public, even though the aide was in a taxpayer-paid position.

“I was on the Fond du Lac City Council, and when we had a personnel issue, we always met behind closed doors,” the fourth-term lawmaker said.

Asked if his staffer’s dismissal was driven by the newspaper’s open records request, Thiesfeldt said, “No.” He declined to say whether his aide was accused of any kind of harassment.

“You can keep asking questions,” Thiesfeldt said. “I’m not going to answer them.”

Hutkowski declined a request for an interview, but he wrote in a Facebook message that he had never been contacted by Human Resources or the Assembly chief clerk about problems.

“HR nor ACC have ever contacted me about any issues so I’m not sure why you are contacting me,” Hutkowski wrote. “Whatever the alleged concerns were, it never reached the level of HR or ACC bringing anything to my attention.”

Sources said Hutkowski repeatedly made female staffers uncomfortable by criticizing them or commenting on what they were wearing — and why their dress was inappropriate or immodest.

He also reportedly told one female staffer that she should meditate on a Bible passage so that she could do a better job.