Down and Dirty
“The place is just a fucking soap opera,” the former employee told us Tuesday, before reeling off an eye-popping list of liaisons, rivalries, petty crimes and generally strange workplace behavior. “I was repelled by weirdness and weird people.”
So the city government now sets off to spend yet more scarce dollars investigating and/or defending its employees against harassment, real or alleged. (Yes, we know the insurance company picks up much of the tab, but our premiums must be absolutely through the freaking roof by now.) If that’s going to happen anyway, we entreat the Eureka City Council to invest a bit more to pry their employees’ minds out of the pages of the Penthouse Forum.
It’s an absolute mystery why this sex-mad culture seems to fester in and around City Hall. Does it infest any other Humboldt County workplace that you know of? Our former employee had a theory, which they put in their characteristically plainspoken way:”There’s too much free time, I think, and they’re unattractive to anybody but each other.”
Whatever. City Council: Either do some freaking sensitivity training or buy your problem cases tickets to the next orgy in Ferndale, where they can perv out on people other than their co-workers. I’m amazed someone has to tell you this stuff.
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on the cover
Railroad!
Proposed lines ‘set rich blood a-tingling’ in early 1900s
Some Other Proposed North Coast Railroads
Choo-choo Fantasies
Exposing this east-west rail nonsense
seven-o-heaven
Undeterred Will
Will chides Andrew for lack of attention to detail and makes plans for his inevitable victory.
Recent the town dandy
Jan. 13, 2011
The Golden Boy
Dec. 23, 2010
Wish Lists
Dec. 16, 2010
The Train Geeks Return
Today
44th Annual Kinetic Grand Championship Race
STAFF PICK / events, art, outdoors, sports, for kids, free / 9 a.m.-6 p.m. A 3-day, 42-mile kinetic sculpture race over land, sand, mud and water! LeMans start at the Noon Whistle on the Arcata Plaza. Follow the race through Manila, Eureka and into Ferndale on Memorial Day for the Glorious Finish. kineticgrandchampionship.com. 889-3024.
Flow 2012 Fashion Show
STAFF PICK / events / 8 p.m. Arcata Theatre Lounge, 1036 G St. Student designed and produced clothing. Fundraiser for Arcata Arts Institute. $35/$25 students. artsinstitute.net. 822-1220.
Woodside Preschool's Rummage/Bake Sale
events / 8 a.m.-noon. Woodside Preschool, 900 Hodgson St, Eureka. www.woodsidepreschool.com. 445-9132.
Lanphere Dunes Restoration
STAFF PICK / outdoors / 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Meet at Pacific Union School. Help remove non-native invasives at the Lanphere Dunes Unit of the Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Tools and gloves provided, wear work clothes and bring water. Carpool to the protected site. 444-1397.
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13 Comments
Comment / By Thirdeye / Nov. 19, 2009, 2:37 p.m.
“There’s too much free time, I think, and they’re unattractive to anybody but each other.”
ouch
Sex tourism hot spots: southeast Asia, the Philippines, Tijuana, and….Ferndale?
Comment / By Mr. Big / Nov. 19, 2009, 5:44 p.m.
BTW, I heard the Dandy’s “secret source” is Rob Amerman.
Comment / By unanonymous / Nov. 19, 2009, 7:15 p.m.
nice, and I thought the term alternative tabloid referred to the page size.
what we do know is that the only allegations of sexual impropriety that have been settled, ended in the person who alleged such sexual acts paying $10,000 for slander. yet hank, uses his xtube honed logic to conclude that all city employees are engaging in a “sex-mad culture” orgasmithon.
of course, hanks brain was too drained of blood from reading the complaint to realize that a statement like: “There’s too much free time, I think, and they’re unattractive to anybody but each other” might come from a disgruntled employee.
also, I know you are an alternative publication and don’t really consider yourself an actual journalist but: “Our suspicion — confirmed by the million little whispers that reach our ears from time to time — is that this has gone on far too long.” source please? really, a whole million? gee is this satire….is any of this true, are there real sources or is it Bob Dorans wife again.
Comment / By Lineout / Nov. 20, 2009, 7 a.m.
As a City employee being lumped into a disgruntled ex employee’s characteerization of us being ugly and having too much time on our hands is very offensive.
I work very hard at my chosen professsion and often work many hours of unpaid overtime when deadlines are looming.
As far as intra office affairs, I know of none with the exception of what is being alleged in the suit. Mr. Sims, I would use more caution when printing quotes that alledge such unsubstaintiated behavior.
I’m perplexed at your jounalistic motivation for this story. Could you possibly explain why you cast such a wide ugly net over our place of employment? Would it not be more professional to garner other sources?
Comment / By Agree with line / Nov. 20, 2009, 5:28 p.m.
That was about the vilest piece of yellow journalism I’ve ever seen in the Journal.
Allegations and innuendo, along with not so clever worldplay, but quite short on facts.
Weak Hank. Very Weak. In fact, if I hadn’t read it in the pages of the Journal, and knew for a fact the above the law blog was defunct, I’d of sworn it came from that there, trashy as was.
Of course the names would’ve been changed to slam Garr and not Dave, but…there ya go.
Comment / By IN THE KNOW / Nov. 20, 2009, 9:10 p.m.
As a long time City employee just recently retired I’ll say that your article is nonsense. The vast majority of City employees respect that they work for the public, and strive to ensure that the public gets its moneys worth. No one has any time to slip into the coat room or whatever. How long did you spend researching and writing that drivel, ten minutes?
Comment / By Lipton / Nov. 22, 2009, 8:01 a.m.
“…or is it Bob Dorans wife again.”
Unanonimous is obsessed. He should come out of the closet — teabags and all.
Comment / By Agree with line / Nov. 22, 2009, 5:04 p.m.
Ahh, poor Lipton, no good response, so just an insult heraldo’d, I mean hurled un’s way.
So, Lipton doesn’t think what Bob Doran and his wife did (or more importantly didnt do) journalistically was a big deal?
You must be Joel Meilke.
Comment / By Agree with line / Nov. 22, 2009, 5:05 p.m.
Ahh, poor Lipton, no good response, so just an insult heraldo’d, I mean hurled un’s way.
So, Lipton doesn’t think what Bob Doran and his wife did (or more importantly didnt do) journalistically was a big deal?
You must be Joel Meilke.
Comment / By Earl Gray / Nov. 24, 2009, 8:02 a.m.
As Unanonymous continues to suckle his righteous anger, his anonymous ally guesses the identity of an anonymous commenter. What a team!
Comment / By unanonymous / Nov. 24, 2009, 8:34 a.m.
quite fitting for a gossip story with anonymous source. singular use intended.
Comment / By Hank Sims / Nov. 24, 2009, 8:45 a.m.
Single source? You don’t count the legal record?
Comment / By unanonymous / Nov. 24, 2009, 11:04 a.m.
excuse me, allegations and anonymous source.
it would appear that the sexual harassment charge is secondary to the adverse performance of the city manager in investigating the actions of wilson and therefore city of eureka by her supervisory position and alleged collaboration with other managers. the charge of a rebuffed sexual advance is disclosed to show motivation for the inaction of tyson.
regardless, I agree the epd appears to have a large problem with several harassment suits filed by female employees. but wouldn’t that “funky yellow stew of rage” or ‘up and down sideways’ stuff more likely to occur at the epd building on 6th and C streets where they work and events are alleged to have occurred?