An ongoing dispute took a surprising turn Tuesday night when the Caledonia Board of Aldermen dismissed an employee’s grievance against his supervisor.
Water Technician Trey Robertson filed a grievance against Water Supervisor Benny Coleman in June, alleging blackmail, ethics violations, discrimination and a violation of his constitutional rights.
Tuesday night, the aldermen voted 4-1 to dismiss Robertson’s grievance as having no merit. Alderman Quinn Parham cast the sole dissenting vote, saying though Robertson was “not without fault,” he believes his allegations against Coleman are true.
At the crux of the issue is Robertson’s Class B water certification test, which he passed last spring but says Coleman has refused to sign due to a separate conflict between Coleman and his parents, Pam and Jim Robertson. Though Robertson received a $1-per-hour raise when he passed the exam, he will receive an additional $1-per-hour raise when his certificate is signed.
Now that the grievance has been voted down, it may be a moot point. If the aldermen had found Robertson’s grievance to have merit, they could have suspended Coleman until he signed the certificate. Now, the only way he can be forced to sign is through a court-ordered writ of mandamus, said Town Attorney Jeff Smith.
Robertson will not be able to file another grievance making the same allegations of blackmail and discrimination either, Smith said, though he can come before the Board and revisit the issue of the unsigned certificate.
Last month, in an attempt to mollify the situation, Smith, at the request of the aldermen, presented Coleman, Robertson and Caledonia Mayor George Gerhart with a conditional memorandum of understanding, which would have granted Robertson’s $1-per-hour raise but placed him under a 60-day review period, during which time he was to meet specific requirements to Coleman’s satisfaction in order to have his certificate signed and keep the raise.
Robertson refused to sign the memorandum of understanding, saying he felt it was tantamount to an admission of guilt when he had done nothing wrong.
“I don’t see how it could have done anything but help Trey,” Smith told the aldermen. “I’m at a loss for what to do.”
Coleman told the aldermen he was continuing to work toward signing Robertson’s certificate but declined to give a time frame when that might happen.
Robertson, who was not present at Tuesday night’s board meeting, said he was disappointed but not surprised by the Board’s action. He plans to consult with his lawyer about his next course of action.
Robertson did not attend Tuesday’s meeting. Reached Wednesday morning, he said he was disappointed but not surprised by the board’s action.
“Benny has yet to confirm or deny what he said, which should prove to the Board he’s guilty,” Robertson said today. “He shouldn’t get away with this. This isn’t over.”
Carmen K. Sisson is the former news editor at The Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 32 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.