Two former Glendale park naturalists have filed a lawsuit against the city, claiming they were wrongly terminated when they complained about a manager's misuse of city resources.
Russell Hauck and Eric Grossman claim in separate lawsuits filed July 29 in U.S. District Court that they were laid off only after they raised concerns about Dave Ahern, the former capital projects administrator for the city's Community Services & Parks Department, and his alleged use of a city-owned vehicle and public employees for his own landscaping, the Glendale News-Press reported.
Hauck and Grossman told managers that a Glendale resident saw a city vehicle and city employees landscaping Ahern's home at least five times in two months, according to the lawsuit.
Hauck and Grossman claim that soon after notifying their superiors -- who at the time were former department director George Chapjian and current director Jess Duran -- their duties were consistently reassigned.
The pair were fired June 30, less than six weeks after complaining about Ahern, according to the lawsuit.
Glendale Human Resources Director Matt Doyle declined to discuss specific personnel matters, although he said Hauck chose to retire. Any jobs lost were a result of budget cuts, he added.
The city attorney's office this week denied a Public Records Act request by the Glendale News-Press for all city correspondence regarding Ahern's personal residence and any investigation or review of using a parks department vehicle and city resources for personal landscaping. A records request for complaints filed on behalf of Hauck and Grossman about Ahern was also rejected because the city said it involved confidential personnel matters.
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-- Veronica Rocha, Times Community News
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