Two city charter officers will be the third and fourth city officials to resign from their positions in the past four months.
City attorney Nicolle Shalley and city clerk Omichele Gainey submitted written letters of resignation Wednesday. Shalley’s last day will be Nov. 12, and Gainey’s will be Oct. 8. In an email to the City Commission, Shalley wrote she will become Levy County’s attorney, but Gainey did not explain why she was resigning.
Both Shalley and Gainey offered to help new hires transition into their roles.
Although not mentioned in her resignation letter, Shalley would have been tasked with representing the city in a lawsuit filed Aug. 26 to retaliate against the city’s vaccine mandate for employees.
Commissioner Gail Johnson also announced her resignation on Aug. 23 due to concerns over City Manager Lee Feldman’s employment and the city’s lack of commitment to gender and racial equity.
A special election to replace her will be held Nov. 16. Former chair of the Alachua County Democratic Party Cynthia Chestnut hinted at a run for the seat and UF graduate and former middle school teacher Matt Howland announced his official intent to run in a press release Thursday.
Former Director of the Office of Equity and Inclusion Teneeshia Marshall resigned in April after overseeing an investigation into Feldman, who was accused of gender discrimination and retaliation against a coworker in November 2020.
Feldman was found to have retaliated against a coworker in Civil Litigation Attorney Robert Clayton Roesch’s findings, but there was no evidence for gender discrimination. Johnson voted against keeping Feldman in his position but was outnumbered.
In an interview with WCJB, Marshall said she resigned due to a toxic workplace and unequal pay. Marshall said her relationship with commissioners like Adrian Hayes-Santos had changed and her pay was not competitive compared to market value.
When asked about Johnson naming him as a reason for resigning, Feldman directed The Alligator to city spokesperson Rossana Passaniti. Passaniti made no comment in regard to Johnson’s concerns with Feldman but emphasized the city’s mission to be equitable to all employees.
“The City provides a safe, professional and productive work environment in which all employees are treated with dignity and respect,” she wrote in an email. “We are continually working to build a more collaborative culture, and to identify areas for improvement.”
Contact Meghan at mmcglone@alligator.org Follow her on Twitter @meggmcglone.
Meghan McGlone is a UF junior majoring in journalism and English, and this year she’s the City and County Commission reporter. In past years, she’s served as the University Editor, the Student Government reporter, and other positions. Her favorite past time is eating gummy worms and reading a good book.
