Can't Fight City Hall

[Anonymous <no_email@fake.address>]

I was hired as an Administrative Assistant to the City Administrator.  I was also appointed as the Deputy City Clerk.  For the first six months I was actually working for a temp agency with the hope that I would be hired by the City after that initial time.  During this time I saw things that were very puzzling to me.  The lady training me had been in this job for fifteen years.  When I would ask questions she would shrug her shoulders and not answer me.  Things like the City Administrator and the female accountant spending hours in his office.  The accountant would go into his office and pull the door shut behind her and I would here the lock click.  One day they disappeared for the entire day.  When I asked about this I was told that "these things happen".  The accountants husband called for her while she was "out" and the other three employees seemed to get a panicked look on their faces.  

There were times when they would emerge from his office and he would have lint on his shirt which was of the same color as her sweater.  Very Odd, I thought.  One of the city council members came into the office while they were locked away in one of their sessions.  He asked me if the city administrator was in there.  I answered yes.  He asked is the accountant in there.  I said yes.  He then asked if the door was locked.  Before I could answer he grabbed the knob and tried it.  Of course it was locked and he pounded on the door yelling the man's name. They came out after a few minutes (it takes time to get your clothes on when you're in a hurry!).  It was obvious that this Councilmember suspected something because this situation happened twice, exactly the same way.  

You're probably wondering what my problem is since I was not being harassed by this man.  Well I soon found that the accountant did not want her boyfriend to have anything to do with me.  She was friendly to me but very careful about what she said.  After I got hired full time for the city, it started.  He would turn on me with a vengence in his eyes at absolutely no provocation.  One instance all I said was good morning.  These rage incidents happened three different times.  It scared me to death.  I was in the restroom crying for 45 minutes before I could get myself together to come out and face it again.  I had heard stories from other city employees about how the city administrator treated the former secretary.  A lady in the water department told me that she had a law suit against him for abuse.  The city attorney had advised him to settle with her any way he could because she definitely had a good case.  

As time went by I became more and more unhappy.  This was a great job and the pay and benefits were super.  But my health and happiness meant more.  I went to the office one Friday night and got all my things.  I left my key and time card.  I had no plans of ever returning there.  However, the next day (Saturday) I got a call from the City Administrator.  He was being so nice and didn't understand why any of this had happened.  He assured me that he could "fix" the problem and it would not happen again.  My husband convinced me to give him another chance and so Monday morning back I went.  

Things were better....for two days.  Then it was business as usual.  He had explained to me that the reason he behaved like that was because he was abused as a child and that his mother died when he was three and he was in and out of foster homes.  His grandmother must have treated him very bad.  I am sorry for his past but what does that have to do with treating me so bad?  At Christmas he got everyone else in the office a gift but me.  This really hurt me but it was only a $5.99 Baskin Robins special.  I just thought that his girlfriend would be jealous so he left me out.  

Soon he was dictating letters to me at my desk instead of in his office.  He would always go over the agenda for the council meetings with me in private.  This stopped altogether.  He would take the folder and review it and then give it back to me.

He publicly humiliated another man in the office in front of all five of us and anyone that happened to walk in to City Hall that day.  

Anyway, I quit for good.  I had to leave a great job because of an abusive boss and his poor judgment.  When I resigned I told three of the Councilmembers about my suspicions of what goes on there and why I was leaving.  None of them seemed to care.  He hired another secretary and I have been told that she was experiencing the same treatment.  She requested that the job be part time and he agreed to it.  But I saw in the paper where the job is open again.

Was there anything I could have done but give up?  He has everyone scared of him.  He is a control freak from what I can tell.  

I did not pursue any legal action.  I wasn't sure what to do.  I was too scared to do anything.

Thanks for listening.