Multnomah Board of County Commissioners 2017

Jan. 3, 2017 -- Commissioner Loretta Smith speaks with her staff the day she was sworn in for another term.

(Stephanie Yao Long/The Oregonian)

Multnomah County human resources officials are investigating County Commissioner Loretta Smith after a staffer leveled a host of complaints, including that she used county resources for her campaign, bullied her employees and forced a staffer to use vacation time to work on Smith's campaign.

Smith policy advisor MeeSeon Kwon complained in a Jan. 22 email, obtained by The Oregonian/OregonLive via a public records request, that Smith forced her to work at campaign events, yelled at and belittled her, made disparaging remarks about another employee's appearance and misused a county credit card. As a result, Kwon wrote, she turned down an invitation to apply for a position as Smith's chief of staff.

Since filing the complaint, Kwon has been placed on paid administrative leave.

In a statement emailed to The Oregonian/OregonLive, Smith said, "I'm fully confident that I acted appropriately and that the complaint has no merit."

Smith said after Kwon complained, Smith asked both county human resources officials and the Oregon Secretary of State's office to look into the matter. That office's Election Division investigates campaign violations.

"I take seriously the trust the public has placed in me and I work hard every day to serve my constituents," Smith said in her statement. "I look forward to the resolution of this matter."

Smith was elected to the county commission in 2010. Since then, her tenure has been spotted with controversy.

During six years in office, Smith has churned through seven chiefs of staff. She faced a lien from the state over $36,722 in unpaid personal income taxes, fees and interest. A 2015 Willamette Week story found that she spent $81,192 in taxpayer money on travel and $52,595 in taxpayer money on nonprofit fundraisers - significantly more than her fellow commissioners.

In 2016, Smith owed $36,722 in unpaid personal income taxes, fees and interest.

In an email to The Oregonian/OregonLive, county spokeswoman Julie Sullivan-Springhetti said the county's human resources department does not comment on personnel matters, but said the department is reviewing the complaint and "taking appropriate action."

Kwon's email outlines numerous complaints against Smith.



She said she was expected to work on political fundraising lunches. Kwon said she worked on Smith's "women's equity" fundraisers twice, once in 2016 and again in 2017. Each time, Smith directed her staff to set an out-of-the-office reply and take a vacation day, Kwon said.



Smith also "compelled" her to work during two other campaign events in 2016, Kwon said.



"It was clear to me that my engaging in these activities was not optional; I believed them to be requirements of my continued employment; they cannot be construed as 'volunteering,'" she wrote.



Both state law and county administrative rules prohibit this. "Employees cannot be required to give money or services to aid any political committee or any political campaign," the county rules say.





Multnomah County Commissioner Loretta Smith at the Democratic Party of Oregon election night gathering at the Oregon Convention Center, Nov. 8, 2016.

Kwon also wrote that Smith had been found to have used her county credit card for personal expenses. Smith was required to reimburse the county, Kwon said.



The county's rules state that county credit cards must not be used for personal or non-business related purchases.



Kwon's email further alleged that Smith bullied and mistreated her staff, creating a "toxic work environment." She wrote that Smith had "extreme staff turnover" in her office, losing 15 employees from her four-person staff over the years.



Kwon said Smith had yelled, cursed and spoken in disrespectful tones to her and other county staffers. Kwon wrote that Smith's feedback often "devolves into harsh and unreasonable criticism."

In addition, Kwon alleged, Smith had made disparaging comments about the weight of another employee, and suggested that Kwon "go shopping" to help her find work clothing that would look better on her body style. Smith also commented on Kwon's appearance, she said.



County policy lays out requirements for maintaining a professional and respectful workplace, and gives examples of inappropriate workplace behavior. They include "comments or behaviors that disparage, demean, threaten, intimidate, humiliate, abuse authority, sabotage work, or show disrespect for another employee..."



Smith also bullied Kwon into sharing her medical records, and accused Kwon of lying about her health, Kwon's email says.

Last fall, Smith refused to pay Kwon for hours she worked from home with permission from the chief of staff, she wrote.



"You said that those (hours) don't count and said that 'working from home' didn't exist," Kwon wrote. "You took it upon yourself to email HR to change information on my timesheet to increase the number of sick days taken."



Kwon wrote that she was prompted to send the email when Smith's current chief of staff, Elizabeth Mazzara-Myers, asked her to sign a non-disclosure agreement. While Mazzara-Myers referred to the agreements as "standard," Kwon said the request struck her as odd and made her uncomfortable, she said.



"My concern is heightened by my experience of your requiring me to work on political activities," she wrote.

-- Anna Marum

amarum@oregonian.com

503-294-5911

@annamarum