such serious allegations were made, and there was clear a division on whether
or not the final report should be accepted, as well as the need for continued
work, this, too, raised quite a concern, so there needed to be a coming together.
There seemed to be no acknowledgement, which was concerning for them as a
community of faith.
Commissioner Grant responded as to the number of persons making
allegations, stating she had two assistants since serving on the Commission,
one who was already with the City, and worked with her for four years; she
transitioned into another position when she graduated from college.
The
“alleged person” came onboard as a temporary employee, but her position at
the time was they would work well together, and she had high hopes that they
would have done so in her efforts to move the City forward.
The subject
allegations came as a surprise to her; in fact, she filed to run for mayor on June
1, 2023, and on June 5, 2023, she was advised of allegations of harassment
were filed against her. As a result of that, many persons indicated the filing of
the allegations was political. For those who knew her, she felt she could not be
confrontational and address the matters, but she had a strong faith in God and
she understood politics. As a result of this position, she continued to do her
work, with many people not knowing this was taking place, and she and the
young lady continued to work well together until October 1, 2023, when she had
a question for her in relation to something that happened at an event. It was
shortly thereafter that a report was sent asking for a transfer based on her
feeling harassed and it was something that had been going on for one whole
year. Commissioner Grant said there were many facets to the situation, and
she found it very challenging, as did her family, and without the support of her
community and friends, she would not be sitting where she was at present. It
was hard when allegations were made against you that you knew in your heart
you had not done; she believed it was all an effort to keep her out of office.
Additionally, to all the persons who spoke against her, she wished them all to
know that in the government stance, she was to speak and report to the City
Manager, and all Charter members, and there were times when one interfaced
with other persons, and staff in the City. At no time did a city commissioner
interface with 16 or 18 people, so it was to her surprise that 16 to 18 individuals
had something to say about her, which she thought indicated they were dealing
with her for some time, which she found disheartening.
Nonetheless, it was
okay. With regard to Pastor Gordon’s question about her giving no rebuttal, she
was advised by Ms. Earley not to provide a rebuttal, otherwise, though she
would have been more inclined to give
understood it was a fixed situation.
a rebuttal; her attorney and she
Ms. Earley commented that the subject discussion was not about
Commissioner Grant disputing the final report; full investigation was
a
conducted by an independent firm. Regarding the question on giving a rebuttal,
once they discovered there was an investigation, Commissioner Grant and she
had the opportunity to present all the facts in evidence they had, which they did,
after which the investigation was concluded.
After the investigation, the
independent law firm reported their findings, and invited Commissioner Grant to
issue a rebuttal with additional evidence if she so chose, but there was no
additional evidence to offer. In her practice as a criminal defense attorney, and
a litigator, oftentimes the results yielded by an investigation were what they
were. Ms. Earley stated it was impossible for Commissioner Grant to accept
something that was not her truth, and she should not be asked to apologize for
the sake of salvation, or to humble herself if she stood by her truth that
