Boann OE DIRECTORS ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF 113:; Michael Taylor . we St Valley Clarence C. Mansell,]r. Sident, Board of Directors General Manager Kyle arm, I/?r ate: District in man Pam co Vice President, Board of Directors . Assistant General Manager Dr. Clifford 0. Young, Sr. Jeremiah Brosowske 93mm" ESTABLISHED as A PUBLIC AGENCY IN 1 952 Assistant General Manager Gf?eg Young WEST VALLEY WATER Disrnicr?s MISSION IS TO PROVIDE A RELIABLE, Deborah Martinez Director WATER SUPPLY TO MEET OUR PRESENT an Resources and Donald Clinger AND FUTURE NEEDS AT A REASONABLE COST AND TO PROMOTE . Director WATER-USE EFFICIENCY AND CONSERVATION. L. Escalera Shamindra K. Manbahal Board Secretary O??icer December 12, 2019 SUBJ: WEST VALLEY WATER DISTRICT MANAGEMENT AND SUPERVISORS HEREBY SEEK POSITIVE CHANGE, TRANSPARENCY, AND ACCOUNTABILITY Dear President Hawkins and Honorable Board Members, We the undersigned, management, and supervisory staff, of West Valley Water District, are bringing to you, the Board of Directors, our extreme concerns with regards to the executive management and overall unsatisfactory performance of General Manager Clarence Mansell, Jr. It is our hope that through this letter, we show to you that we are a District of one, of dedicated employees, with desires that are in line with ratepayer expectations, and focused on positive change, improvement, and transparency. We have not taken this action In fact, it is our understanding that in the history of West Valley Water District, an Action of No Con?dence has never been taken regarding the General Manager. Our Water District is at a crossroads and we felt compelled to take this action because it is our fundamental belief that without a change in leadership, our once proud West Valley Water District will continue to decline and water services will be at risk for our customers. Over the years, our employees have solely focused on ensuring our customers have safe, high quality, and reliable drinking water. The committed employees that have proudly worked to provide the water in which your families drink continue to stay committed through the troubling moments the District has faced. As employees, we have chosen to not involve ourselves in the politics and decision making of the District. When Clarence Mansell, Jr. was appointed Interim General Manager, our employees welcomed him with open arms and were eager to assist to improve services. We anticipated having a collaborative approach between the General Manager and employees. Our mindset was to be respectful and build a working relationship with him. Unfortunately, after continued lack of transparency, communication, honesty, professionalism, and respect for employees of West Valley Water District, we have come It's: cl mt. H91 gm; 13W main: 1. My.? [Iaggu {9136!} Administration - - FAJilDtl??l?75-l3?l En lurcrin to the ?rm conclusion that the only way to save our water district is to change the leadership of West Valley Water District. This decision made by Managers and Supervisors of West Valley Water District is driven by our commitment to the community we serve. We are a team made up of professionals with vast experience in the responsibilities we have been tasked with by all of you and our customers. A General Manager that no longer strives to ful?ll the mission of our District providing safe drinking water, is negatively impacting our customers. Our customers deserve better. It has become a tragedy that our employees no longer have con?dence in the leadership of the General Manager. This comes after claims of retaliation, harassment, bullying, hostile work environment and much more. Dozens of employee claims submitted to the District have gone without responses, investigations and have fallen on deaf ears. Clearly, it is in Violation of our district policies, as well as employment laws. Claims submitted to the District by many of us and our employees date back to almost a year and have not seen a response, investigation, or even an acknowledgement. Our Human Resources Department is rendered absent due to his mismanagement. Mr. Mansell has fully taken 100% control over the entire recruitment and staf?ng of the District. The authority typically provided to a human resources department and even more so, an experienced Human Resources and Risk Manager of a public agency has been stripped away. Our current Human Resources and Risk Manager has zero authority to ful?ll their job duties. The mismanagement that leads our organization continues to consistently violate policies approved by the Board. Findings from recent audits are still being practiced. Hiring practices are more ?awed than before. Job descriptions for vacancies within our departments are molded to ?t speci?c individuals our General Manager desires, most of whom have a personal relationship with him. He is making these selections without conducting interviews nor including department managers or supervisors in the process. Mr. Mansell has justi?ed all of his actions by stating that the Board is aware of and in support of all his actions. We believe this to be an untrue statement as his actions are oftentimes in direct contradiction to your statements on the dais. Often, these employees lack the quali?cations and experience required to perform basic tasks and begin at an inappropriately high pay step creating tension among long term employees of the District. These actions are potential violations of the Equal Pay Act. Several employees hired by the General Manager through an improper process have been immune to supervisory discipline. In some cases, the Supervisor has recommended termination of employment due to failure to meet the minimum job performance standards. Many contracts being awarded by the General Manager and presented to the Board have come into question by many of us. These contracts at times are funded by a department in which the manager has no knowledge of the scope of work, or cannot reasonably justify the contract. Our team respectfully suggests that our ratepayers would be better served by immediately investing these ?nancial resources on improving and expanding our infrastructure. H55 W. Brut: Lll'll: lid? RH. Hus 910 Kuhn, CH REST-W30 1- -r tar-Ln} Morale has never been lower at West Valley Water District. General Manager Mansell has alienated employees by removing responsibilities from speci?c individuals to those who will do his bidding. We bring this to your attention because of our commitment to our customers and employees. In the interest of our customers and employees, the undersigned managers and supervisors of the West Valley Water District stand ?rm in our belief that we no longer have con?dence in the leadership of General Manager Clarence Mansell, Jr. In the District?s ?rst time in history, we are compelled to take this drastic action. This is how strong we feel about the current leadership and are informing you of the need for change. Our ratepayers can no longer afford to maintain the liability they are incurring through improper employee treatment, and mismanagement among others. It is our sincere hope that the District will transition to a leadership that exudes transparency, fairness, accountability, and respect towards our ratepayers and dedicated employees. Thank you for your consideration on this signi?cant issue. We hereby provide this letter of No Con?dence for General Manager Clarence Mansell, Jr. and timber recommend termination of his employment contract. git on Stephenson Director of General Services rye/W 'Paul ?edker anne Chan H.R. Analyst/Acting HR. Manager Operations Manager Business Systems Manager T?lat cin Geog phic Information Systems Manager sis w. am Lmu mi. Itu. Hm ezn Hualtu. L?s . X1 R?obles Joe?Scha?aclz Purchasing Supervisor Production Supervisor a/ Anthony Budicin Bill Krueger Water Quality Supervisor Met a. Ef?gy?)? Maintenance Supervisor Montelongo 7) WGranda Chief Treatment Plant Operator Chief Treatment Plant Operator Supervisor ?Lil-H I'h -.