The manager at Avondale Community Center, Gerald Perry, will be able to return to work after a human resources investigation found he created a toxic work environment at the facility.
City spokesperson Liam Collins said in a text Perry was issued a final written warning and will follow a performance improvement plan, a program set with supervisors to address problem areas that led to disciplinary action.
(READ MORE: Report describes bullying, fearful culture around Chattanooga community center manager)
The investigation began after an employee submitted a complaint in mid-November. Perry was placed on administrative leave, and an investigation substantiated objections about the working conditions, stating Perry was controlling, threatened reassignments, yelled and gave people the silent treatment.
Investigators said in the report Perry initially had good relationships with new hires, but when they questioned or went "against him," he wanted them transferred or created an environment that made them to want to leave. The working conditions there caused four employees to be transferred -- two at their own request -- and two to quit, according to a city report.
What did the report say?
The city's human resources department conducted 23 interviews over more than a month, which included Perry's co-workers, supervisors, former employees and Perry himself. Those are summarized in an 80-page report the Chattanooga Times Free Press received through a public records request. A handful of the takeaways include:
— One employee, who worked at Avondale for nearly a year, had a good working relationship with Perry until crews redid the gym floors at the center. The employee sat at a nearby desk and complained the chemical fumes were causing her to feel dizzy and unwell. On two occasions, Perry allowed her to work elsewhere for the day. On the third day, she went into the art room to avoid the fumes, and Perry stormed in and said, "You can't be back here, I need you up front," before slamming the door.
Perry and another supervisor sent her home, she said in an interview with the city. She was home for three days without pay, and nobody responded to emails she sent asking when she could return. When she did, Perry would not talk to her. She asked to be transferred.
— A parent had a daughter who came out as gay and asked the center to do a class about sexuality, a community center manager said in the report. Perry tasked an employee with conducting the training, but she said she was uncomfortable with that assignment and it shouldn't be her responsibility.
The employee said in her interview she and a librarian at Avondale found someone to come in and teach the youngsters about healthy relationships, but Perry canceled it, she said.
Perry started taking away the employee's responsibilities, she said. One day, she forgot to relay a message to Perry from a parent, and Perry threatened to transfer her, she said, something he used as a scare tactic.
— The males and females are kept separate everywhere at Avondale, the same employee said, including in the gym and on the playground. In his interview with the city, Perry said staff members keep males and females separate at Avondale because they're short-staffed.
Another city employee said Perry suspended at least one boy from Avondale for talking to girls, which the report said did not follow community center policies and procedures.
— One former tutor at the center, who left after about three months, would use ice cream as a reward for children when they practiced reading. Perry would see children eating ice cream in the hall and ridicule the tutor over a walkie-talkie, according to another former employee, which could be loud enough for other people to hear.
One day, she came into the office and the entire stock of ice cream was gone. When she asked Perry about it, he told her he had distributed it all to children the evening before, adding the students who had not yet participated in the reading program saw other students eating ice cream and wanted some of their own, according to the tutor.
(READ MORE: Chattanooga residents defend Avondale Recreation Center manager on administrative leave)
In his interview with human resources, Perry said one of his employees handed out the tutor's treats alongside ice cream intended for the whole center, not realizing they were separate. The next day, he said, he bought more ice cream to replenish the supply.
— The report described Perry's responses during the human resources interview as 'flippant.' His response to nearly every question involved shifting blame to others, it added. Perry "appears to have been untruthful in some of his" answers, the report said.
'Witch hunt'
Perry, an approximately 20-year city employee, hasn't responded to requests for comment, but community members and friends have repeatedly come to his defense. A former city employee, David Crutcher, and a Hamilton County commissioner, Warren Mackey, have each characterized the investigation as a "witch hunt."
Crutcher told the Chattanooga City Council on Jan. 9 he hasn't seen evidence of Perry fostering a toxic work environment and said the city shouldn't be dredging up past complaints that weren't properly acknowledged at the time.
On Friday, Crutcher said in a phone call he believed the outcome of the investigation was fair. The city held a recent hearing at which a number of people spoke in support of Perry, Crutcher said. The city needs to be in the habit of addressing personnel problems as soon as they arise rather than letting them fester, he said.
"Sometimes humans make mistakes," Crutcher said Friday, "but we learn from those mistakes and go forward."
Kenneth Simpson, a former city employee who supervised Perry, said in a phone call that Perry is a strong leader who is motivated to do the best for Avondale.
"He ran the center with conviction, and he wanted to give it the very best for that community," Simpson said. "Now, I had a couple occasions where I had to come in and counsel him on some issues and things, but it wasn't anything serious in nature."
When he worked for the city, Simpson said, officials tried to place employees in communities where they were trusted.
"When you have a strong male that's willing to take on and tackle those hard type issues, of course you're going to have people who aren't going to agree with it," Simpson said.
The Avondale area has had issues with violence, Simpson said.
"We needed to keep somebody strong there that could handle those types of situations," Simpson said. "I know in the past that is a community that has been plagued with those types of problems."
Mackey said Perry is a dedicated worker who dips into his own personal income to assist students, which has included taking them on college tours.
"You can canvass Avondale and you can canvass the urban core of Chattanooga, and you will find Gerald Perry is a man of stature," Mackey said in a Friday phone call. "He's well-respected, he is of a major service to the people and he should not have been treated the way he was treated."
Contact David Floyd at dfloyd@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6249.