Port St. Lucie city attorney resigns after investigation into sexist requirement in job criteria

PORT ST. LUCIE — City Attorney Reggie Osenton resigned Thursday after an investigation found he violated city policy by listing "attractive" among job requirements for staff-attorney applicants and his department was wracked by acrimony.

The City Council immediately hired James Stokes, Sebastian's part-time city attorney, as interim city attorney for one year.

Osenton's departure comes on the heels of a Human Resources Department investigation that found he violated city policy, failed to address complaints about sexist behavior by two staff attorneys and lost the respect of most of his employees.

The investigation of the City Attorney's Office began on Jan. 22, when a female paralegal complained to the Human Resources Department about what she considered preferential treatment for a male paralegal and mistreatment of the female office manager. The probe was completed Tuesday.

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Widespread friction

The investigation substantiated some of the claims, but also uncovered widespread friction among the employees.

Among the key findings of the investigation:

Osenton listed "attractiveness" on his list of 10 qualities on he was looking for in staff attorney candidates.

Assistant City Attorney Manny Anon Jr. "uses terms of endearment with the female staff, even after being instructed to stop."

Attorney Phil Mugavero is disrespectful toward the female support staff.

The same can be said of others, including the females.

The report also made general observations:

Most employees interviewed said they brought their issues to Osenton but none ever got addressed.

Almost everyone interviewed said they have little or no respect for Osenton.

Gossip in the City Attorney Office is "rampant."

Osenton could not be reached for comment, despite attempts by telephone, text and email.

The City Council on Thursday agreed to a negotiated severance package for Ostenton, based on "past practices": 20 weeks severance pay, $76,584; a 10.5 percent contribution to his retirement account; and his unused vacation days.

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The council agreed to pay Stokes $200,000 plus a 10.5 percent contribution to his retirement account.

It wasn't possible to promote from within the City Attorney Office office because of the circumstances, Mayor Greg Oravec said. Stokes was the No. 2 candidate when Osenton was hired in 2016.

“We really need someone who is capable, technically proficient, who is a proven leader, a proven city attorney," Oravec said. “He seems to be that person.”

“I was deeply disappointed to see findings related to sexism, infighting and a greater systemic dysfunction,” Oravec said at a special City Council meeting Thursday.

“The underlying behaviors, actions and inactions are antithetical to our values, vision and strategic plan,” Oravec said.

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“I hope that we as a team, as a family, as a City Council will send a clear message today that these behaviors, actions and inactions have no place here, will not be tolerated and will be dealt with decisively and without delay.”

Councilwoman Stephanie Morgan called the report's findings "disheartening.”

“It’s sad to know that a department is not getting along,” Morgan said during a break in Thursday's strategic-planning meeting. “I wanted to give him a chance because he did come into an attorney’s office that needed help, that had difficulty in the past. After the report came out, it just wasn’t working."

Osenton was hired Sept. 1, 2016, succeeding Pam Booker, who was fired in February of that year for poor performance.

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In his first performance review, on Nov. 22, he received mixed reviews from council members.

'A lot of heartburn'

“This has given me a lot of heartburn,” Vice Mayor Shannon Martin said of Osenton's severance deal. “I don’t like having to pay for what I don’t think is worth being paid for because I don’t think the services were there. I’m not happy with some of it, but I’m going to chalk it up to the cost of doing business.”

Martin and Oravec said they met with some of the staff attorneys to try to clear the air.

Stokes plans to meet with City Attorney Office employees on Friday and attend Monday's City Council meeting, City Manager Russ Blackburn said.

Councilman John Carvelli said he wants all the employees in the City Attorney Office to follow the HR Department's recommendations for improving the work environment.

The recommendations include requiring "all staff members of the CAO attend harassment and discrimination training to help them understand what constitutes harassment and a hostile work environment."

Another recommendation was to engage in team-building exercises to re-establish trust among the staff.

"This is a simplistic statement relative to the work that needs to be done to heal wounds that have been inflicted throughout the CAO staff," the recommendations say.