Hostile Workplace Claims Against Bradenton Councilor To Be Reviewed

BRADENTON, FL — Findings of an investigation into claims that Councilor Bill Sanders created a hostile work environment for city employees will be discussed before the November election, the Bradenton Herald reported.

The findings of the investigation haven’t been discussed publicly yet. Initially, members of the Bradenton City Council indicated they would delay such a discussion until after the Nov. 8 election. But council members decided at their Tuesday meeting to move the discussion up; a date has not yet been set.

Sanders, who represents Ward 4, is up for reelection this fall. He faces two challengers, Kurt Landefeld and Lisa Gonzalez Moore.

“I believe what you’re attempting to do is unethical, political and perhaps illegal. There’s nothing in our charter that says this is possible,” Sanders reportedly said about the potential upcoming workshop.

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A third-party investigator, GrayRobinson, P.A., submitted its final investigative report into the allegations against Sanders to the city on July 27. (Read the full report below.)

Investigator Stephanie M. Marchman found that the allegations in the complaints were "substantiated."

“While he is not a city employee subject to dismissal, if he were a city employee, there is no doubt his employment would be terminated for his egregious, repeated violations of this policy,” she wrote.

According to the report, three complaints filed against the councilor in April claim he created a hostile work environment.

“Mr. Sanders behavior is not only rude, unprofessional and inappropriate in language and attitude, he is willfully hateful, insulting, hostile and mean,” one complainant wrote. “He repeatedly makes false and inflammatory statements about anyone he chooses. Mr. Sanders regularly makes unwarranted, unsupported and unfounded accusations of corruption and even violation of laws and accuses incompetence while never accepting accurate insight presented by others and has no issue with (and even appears to enjoy) trying to use his position to threaten and intimidate staff on a regular basis escalating this behavior with each new encounter even adding physical displays such as raising his voice and shaking his finger.”

Another complainant said she resigned from her role as legal representative for the city because of Sanders, the report said. She claimed he asked her to get involved with the potential sale of Bradenton City Hall and when she refused, because another attorney was handling the matter, he threatened to file an ethics complaint against her.

It was the city administrator who brought the two complaints to the city council and city attorney. Though unnamed in the report, the current city administrator is Rob Perry.

“I’ve reached the inescapable conclusion that the councilor’s conduct must be examined by his peers and the public. I believe this evidence will indicate a pattern of unstable, undermining, self-serving, and unprofessional conduct. I have no option but to bring these matters to your attention for more formal consideration,” the city administrator wrote, according to the report.

Marchman interviewed 29 people — current and former city employees and officials — before compiling her report.

She wrote, “The city employees interviewed in this case as well as documentary evidence demonstrated that they are credible, proficient in their job duties, courageous, nonpolitical at work, and committed to serving the citizens of the city of Bradenton. Despite this, Council Member Sanders has repeatedly yelled at them, claiming they are ‘liars,’ ‘crooks,’ ‘corrupt’ and incompetent in carrying out their city duties when there is no evidence of such. As he does so, he often gets in their personal space, points at them and physically blocks the exit of the employee’s office.

"He has also repeatedly threatened city employees, telling them ‘I’ll have your job,’ ‘somebody is getting fired’ or ‘I don’t want you here.’ Council Member Sanders told one city employee ‘people here hate you’ and another, ‘I’m sick of you.’ Council Member Sanders raises baseless claims against city employees at public meetings, causing them public embarrassment. City employees consistently reported that no one has ever mistreated them in the manner Council Member Sanders has.”

Read the full investigative findings into allegations against Sanders below: