South County Fire chief who fired HR staff accused of retaliation

EVERETT — The chief of South County Fire faces accusations of retaliation after firing two human resources staffers late last year.

The firings came after Sandra Hollenbeck and JoDean Sharp investigated a well-regarded colleague for wage theft.

Sharp, the human resources manager, filed a claim in February for $1 million in damages against the fire department that serves nearly 300,000 residents in south Snohomish County. The claim could serve as the precursor to a lawsuit filed in court if not resolved.

Human Resources Director Sandra Hollenbeck pushed back against her termination through her attorney, calling the events leading up to her firing “nothing short of retaliatory.”

At the end of the year, Chief Thad Hovis notified both that he planned to fire them, claiming their continued employment “would be counter-productive to the efforts that need to be made to restore trust and confidence in the Human Resources Department,” documents obtained through public records requests show.

That day, Hovis also moved to fire his assistant chief, Michael Fitzgerald.

“Your distrust and skepticism of my leadership and expressing those feelings to others in administration is incompatible with your position of Assistant Chief and is undermining of my leadership and authority,” the chief wrote in Fitzgerald’s termination letter.

Fitzgerald, who elected to retire in lieu of being fired, couldn’t be reached for comment.

In an emailed statement last month, Hovis said he wasn’t going to comment on “specific employment decisions.” But he noted “decisions were reached only after an independent third-party completed a thorough investigation and each employee had an opportunity to respond.”

“South County Fire is a growing organization with more than 400 employees,” the fire chief wrote. “We followed a process to resolve this serious employment matter as respectfully as possible for all involved. As an organization, we have strived to create a culture of supportiveness and collaboration. We are moving forward with this and focusing our attention on our mission of protecting lives and property in the communities we serve.”

‘Rumor mill’

The cause of the rift between Hovis and Hollenbeck came in April 2022, when a tipster shared concerns about Alyssa Wooldridge, a support specialist, getting paid for hours she didn’t work.

Hollenbeck investigated with the help of Sharp, who had worked there for over a decade.

In August, their investigation determined Wooldridge was paid for at least 150 hours she didn’t work, records show. In her report to the chief, Hollenbeck noted Wooldridge “has stolen a substantial amount of time from South County Fire.”

Hollenbeck recommended she be fired. She even urged Hovis to consider reporting Wooldridge to authorities.

After Hovis advised Wooldridge he planned to fire her, she resigned in August.

“Then the rumor mill kicked into high gear,” Hollenbeck’s lawyer, Joel Nichols, later wrote in a letter to the fire department’s attorney.

Wooldridge was apparently well liked by her colleagues. And so despite not being a member of Local 1828, the union stepped in to support her. Wooldridge told The Daily Herald she loved her job.

“It’s really damaging in a lot of ways,” she said.

In her resignation letter, Wooldridge noted she planned to retire at South County Fire.

“Thank you for the opportunity to develop my career and achieve many successes with highly motivated professionals,” she wrote. “I wish you all the best.”

The month she resigned, the union president at the time, Kyle Wiggins, spearheaded an online fundraiser to help Wooldridge. On the fundraiser, he wrote workers are “targeted by vindictive people” who “deprive people of due process when unfounded accusations are brought forth.” Wiggins added Wooldridge put in “endless hours of uncompensated time” to help the department.

Less than a week later, in late August, the union authorized a vote of no confidence in Hollenbeck and Sharp, records show. In a letter to the chief, the union noted its members “overwhelmingly passed” the vote calling for an investigation into Hollenbeck and Sharp.

“The members of Local 1828 believe in the core values of South County Fire; Integrity, Humility, Compassion, Family and Trust,” the union wrote. “The values are intended to guide our decisions, beliefs, principles, and relationships, within the organization and with the public we serve. On many occasions our members feel the HR Director and HR Manager have broken these guiding values while dealing with issues that deserve understanding and compassion.”

‘Strain and dysfunction’

In October, Hollenbeck drafted a letter she was never able to deliver to the chief, who previously served as union president.

She reportedly planned to use the letter to request an investigation into Wiggins, the union leader, for violations of the department’s anti-bullying policy. She also wanted a statement from Hovis informing the staff he supported the Wooldridge investigation and wouldn’t tolerate targeting of Hollenbeck or Sharp, as well as a chance to address the department’s Board of Commissioners about how the experience affected her.

But two days after Hollenbeck prepared the letter, Hovis, who got the top job in 2020, placed Hollenbeck on paid leave pending an investigation into her “conduct as an employee of South County Fire,” records show. Hollenbeck previously worked in circulation for The Daily Herald.

As the investigation unfolded, the union asked members to share stories of mistreatment by Hollenbeck and Sharp, who argued this tainted the inquiry. The union couldn’t be reached for comment.

And on Dec. 30, Hovis told Hollenbeck, Sharp and Fitzgerald he expected to fire them. In letters to the human resources staffers, he determined the union didn’t harass or bully them. In response, Hollenbeck’s attorney argued she wasn’t even given an opportunity to explain why she felt bullied.

For Hollenbeck, who had worked there for 5½ years, the chief noted “our working relationship has reached a level of strain and dysfunction that is hindering the smooth functioning of the workplace and damaging SCF’s ability to maintain an atmosphere of respect.”

He also claimed she failed to follow the department’s whistleblower protection and conflict of interest policies.

And for Sharp, who had worked there for 14 years, the chief alleged she made inappropriate remarks in the hiring process for new recruits.

A few weeks later, Hollenbeck signed a separation agreement giving her six weeks of severance pay, public records show. She declined to comment.

Her attorney said what happened to her “was hurtful, but she’s chosen to move on.”

Jake Goldstein-Street: 425-339-3439; jake.goldstein-street@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @GoldsteinStreet.