State Finance Agency Replaces Top Officers Former Manager Sues, Saying Firing Was Racially Motivated

A 10-year veteran of the state Office of Financial Management has been named to replace the only black manager in the agency, who was fired from the $81,000-a-year job Monday.

Sadie Hawkins was named acting assistant director of the Accounting and Administrative Services Division, succeeding Dewey Harris.

In addition, Wendy Jarrett was named to take over as manager of Statewide Accounting Services, Art Overman as manager of Small Agency Client Services and Bruce Gorsky to replace Hawkins in her old job.

Overman replaces Rose Schaller, who also was fired Monday.

The agency has been embroiled in management turnover since Dick Thompson was appointed by Gov. Gary Locke in January to head the office.

He fired Shelly Hager as personnel manager later that month. She said she was fired for opposing the dismissal of Harris when the issue arose earlier in the year.

Harris sued the agency, which is responsible for drafting a state budget and providing fiscal management advice to the governor and Legislature, for $1.5 million in federal court in July on a claim of a racially hostile environment.

In another federal suit that was filed in July, Hager accused Thompson; his deputy, Maureen Morris; and senior assistant director Gary Robinson with violating her civil rights and retaliating when she resisted discrimination.

Thompson said Harris was fired solely because an independent investigation by Roger Dunn of Seattle showed there were management problems in the division.

“I am very worried about the atmosphere in that division,” the director said. “It’s the reason we took the action that we did. We needed to change the leadership.”

Without commenting on more than 20 accusations, including racism, sexism, homophobia, retaliation, favoritism within the division for nearly three years, Dunn wrote that he found leadership was lacking.

“When most people in the division are complaining about their co-workers, their managers, their bosses or their subordinates, that indicates a workplace that is not positive,” he wrote.

Harris remains on the payroll for two months and then is eligible for a four-month position developing performance measures at the state Department of Social and Health Services.

Thompson said he was convinced that ineffective management by Schaller, Hager and Harris was responsible for low morale in the division.

“The case for me was, ‘Are these the right people to make the changes we want to make?’ I concluded that they weren’t,” Thompson said. “Our goal now is to develop a safe workplace - safe in terms of people feeling they can speak up, where gender or race in no way influence people’s value or their chance to advance. Also safe in terms of ideas, that it’s OK to have different points of view.”