Councilman Files Sexual Harassment Complaint
Frederick County Councilman Billy Shreve filed a sexual harassment complaint against Council President Bud Otis last week.
Shreve alleges that during a post-meeting discussion this past spring, Shreve asked Otis how to get an item on the Council’s meeting agenda, and was told he could start by “getting on his knees.”
The Frederick Extra obtained a copy of the complaint that was sent to Mitch Hose, the county’s human resources director, this week. In the complaint, Shreve recounts a discussion with Otis. The county’s Chief of Staff Ragan Cherney witnessed the discussion between Otis and Shreve, according to the complaint. In his letter to Hose, Shreve attached copies of an email exchange from May 31, 2016 and June 1, 2016, and highlighted relevant portions.
On May 31, Shreve emailed Otis about the incident and the frustration he and other council members have experienced over not getting their items on the Council’s meeting agendas:
I have asked you several times during my council comments to add the GFOA Budget discussion to the council agenda. During the Council meeting you responded to talk with you about it.
After a council meeting, immediately after bringing up GFOA standards during my comments, we were in the Council Foyer. I asked you what I had to do to get the GFOA Budget standards discussion on the agenda.
Bud Otis stated "you need to ask me nicely".
My reply, "I thought I did ask you nicely. What else do I need to do to get this on the agenda?"
Bud Otis said to me "You can start by getting on your knees".
Shreve went on to say in his complaint that “the incident made Mr. Cherney & [sic] me extremely uncomfortable. We talked briefly about our amazement at what he said.”
In his June 1 response to Shreve’s email, Otis confirmed that he did say that to Shreve, and that he was being sarcastic:
I gave you two options both which I knew you would never do. One was to ask nicely, which I know you wouldn’t do and the other which was sarcasm was on your knees which I know you would never do, nor would I.
Council President Otis decides what to include on the weekly meeting agenda and runs the council meetings. To include something on the legislative agenda requires more than an email notice, however. More work is involved, including writing legislation and advocating for it among council members. One of the problems experienced by current council members is that they do not understand that their roles is legislative, not administrative, said Council Vice President M.C. Keegan-Ayer. The former commissioner form of government gave commissioners administrative and legislative powers.
Otis and the three Republican members of the Council have had a fractious relationship since the start of their term in December 2014, when three Democrats on the council supported him as president, and Otis voted for himself and against Shreve. Since then, Otis has voted with the Democrats on several issues, and continued to distance himself from Republican members, finding a welcoming embrace from county Democrats. Otis ultimately changed his party affiliation to “unaffiliated” in May.
Republican council members Tony Chmelik, Kirby Delauter and Shreve have been vocal about Otis allegedly ignoring their requests to add discussion items to meeting agendas. But, according to an inside source at Winchester Hall, the council’s Democrats are also frustrated at Otis’ lack of attention to putting their items on the agenda. There’s also growing concern about Otis’ troubles in leading and prepping for council meetings, according to the source.
Democrats have not wanted to move to oust Otis as president until his term is up at the end of the year because they rely on his vote as a tie-breaker, the source said. Shreve confirmed that he was aware that the Democrats had concerns. The county charter calls for the election of a new president and vice president twice during the four-year term.
As for his complaint, Shreve said HR will do an investigation and share the outcome with council members. In the complaint letter, Shreve said that when the conversation took place, he “ wanted to grab Otis by his tie and throw him through the window. For the first time in my life I was a victim of sexual harassment. It felt dirty. I felt sick. I was mad! I never want this to happen to anyone again.”
Otis said Keegan-Ayer did not intend to connote a sexual context in his conversation. Keegan-Ayer has spoken with Otis about the incident and said he was “mortified” to hear Shreve’s interpretation.
But what his intention, telling Shreve that he would have to beg, she said, is still inappropriate.
After an investigation, Otis may have to go through sensitivity training. According to Keegan-Ayer, that is something that could benefit more than one council member.
© 2016 The Frederick Extra. All Rights Reserved.
