Chattanooga Dept. Head Facing Sexual Harassment Allegations

An administrative assistant in the office of General Services for the City of Chattanooga levies allegations of two years worth of sexual harassment by her boss, the Director of the department, Paul Page.

NewsChannel 9 obtained a copy of the 5-page complaint, issued by Jennifer Baggett to the city's personnel department. (Document Below)

Baggett details sexually charged conversations dating back to Fall 2006, when she claims he made comments about a short skirt she was wearing, and made references to other womens' breast size.

Then in Late Winter 2007/Early Spring 2008, Baggett claims Page bragged about asking women to put on lipstick and kiss his office windows: kisses she claims were visible long after the fact.

Baggett also details instances where Page allegedly told her repeatedly that he would have to put "sideboards on her chair or the department vehicle because she'd gained so much weight."

In another instance this summer Baggett says she walked into the office and Page told her he had to quote, "stay seated at his desk and couldn't get up because it was the best blouse he'd ever seen on her."

Then, just last month, Baggett says Page boasted about his "sex buddy" in Nashville.. Claiming the woman was bipolar, and that "bipolar women are wild in bed," and then gave descriptions too graphic for us to air.

We went to the General Services office today, where we found Page at work, but he declined to give us his side of the story.

The city of Chattanooga issued a statement calling the claims unsubstantiated adding that the investigation continues and is being handled by an independent investigator. While it does, both Baggett and Page remain employed by the City of Chattanooga.

Below is the actual letter and documentation Baggett provided to Chattanooga's Personnel Director.

Some language included in the document might be objectionable to some readers.

Jeniffer L. Baggett
Signal Mountain, TN 37377

October 24, 2008

Attn: Donna Kelley
Director of Personnel City of Chattanooga 101 East 11th Street
Chattanooga, TN 37402

Dear Donna:

This letter is to inform you that I would like to file an official complaint of sexual harassment on Paul Page, the Director of General Services for the City of Chattanooga.

On October 21, 2008 at approximately 9:00am I met with you regarding Paul's behavior in the work place. During this meeting, I provided you with documentation I had made on Paul's behavior and enclosed is a copy. Also, during this meeting you gave me a copy of the Sexual Harassment clause of the City Code, titled "Chattanooga City Code.

Chapter 2. Division IO. Harassment" During this meeting, you asked me question so regards to the documentation I provided you if some item in the documentation were not clear or needed amplification, in which I answered to the best of my knowledge and ability.

What I would like to see happen is the harassment stop completely; however, due to the fact that this behavior has been happening for two (2) years now, I do not see it stopping any time soon, as I believe it is in Paul's nature, character, and personality, nor do I believe he has the self discipline and respect for his colleagues for this to stop. I feel like this. type of behavior is causing a non-conducive working environment: causing me to feel scared and anxious every time I come in to work, causing me to. feel intimidated and worried to stand up for myself in situations where I feel uncomfortable, and causing me to me to feel mad, sad, and depressed by the end of the work day and at home. I feel like this type of behavior is absolutely unacceptable to exhibit to an employee anywhere, especially at the work place. I have feared for so long now that if I am to report Paul, that I would lose my job. I have now come to the realization that no job is worth my happiness, sanity, and self-respect.

In addition to the sexual harassment documentation I have provided, I also have made documentation in which Paul has exhibited wrongful business actions in his current position title as Director of General Services. This documentation is also enclosed with this letter. In conclusion, I trust whatever decision is made of his employment at the City of Chattanooga is a just one. Since I can only speak for myself and tell tile truth exactly as I hear and see it I can only hope that my complaint and documentation is taken in a serious manner and, at the very least, is investigated further.

Thank you.

Sincerely,
Jennifer L. Baggett
Administrative Assistant General Services
City of Chattanooga

Sexual Harassment Documentation

-Fall 2006
One of the first tasks I had when I was hired was to clean up Paul's office. While cleaning and shuffling through all kinds of papers, I found a very thick packet filled with instant message screen names, some of them very inappropriate names. I did not tell anyone for a long time about this, though, quite some time later, I told Lynn Wilson and Bruce Keown about it, even though they've never seen it.

-Spring 2007
Paul had talked to me about a short skirt I was wearing. I didn't think it was that short and I would never wear something inappropriate to work, and he said he didn't have a problem with it but someone from some other department told him it was. I apologized and told him I would never wear something Re that again and that I wasn't quite sure what the dress code was and that I would like to inquire about it. He told me I couldn't, that it needed to be kept internally. I told him I just wanted to see the dress code because I had never had a "professional" job before and wasn't quite sure what to wear and he told me l wouldn't have a job if l went looking for a dress code policy. There were no witnesses to this conversation.

-Summer 2007
Paul told LaTeshia, our summer intern, that he could tell her ways to not get pregnant. I also remember one specific time when LaTeshia came in to our office to show us her baby a year later after she didn't work for the City anymore and he said something to the effect of, "you know what causes that, don't you?" referring to the baby. I can't remember if there were any witnesses to hear this.

-Late Winter 2007/Early Spring 2008
Paul starts asking- women to put on lipstick and kiss his office window. I remember when because it started around the same time Heather got hired. I remember specifically him asking Lori Ezell to do this and she did. I no of no other witnesses that have heard him ask women and I know of no other women he's asked, but there are several "kisses" on the window in his office. He used to have quite a few, but then washed them off. Now they are back, which anyone can view.

-Spring 2008
The day that Christy Creel had her interview, she left after the interview and Paul told me that he thought she was nice and said "she's got boobs. Two of them!" he said excitedly. I know of no other witnesses that heard this.

-Around May 2008
Before I got married, there were also several occasions when he told me that we'll be divorced within a year and kept asking me if I was really going to get married. There have been several occasions when he told me not to have a baby for 5 years or not to get pregnant. Lynn Wilson has heard him saying things- like this to me.

-July 2008
Paul told me that if Christy had to keep going to pick up her sick baby from day=e that he would be "in trouble" and that this "can't keep happening." Although this isn't sexually related, I felt that this was completely out of line to say, as she can't help that her child is sick and even had personal time leave built up that she could use. No other witnessed were around to hear this but the comment took place at my desk.

-Summer 2008
One specific day, I had walked in to the office in the morning and a little while later he told me he had to "stay seated at his desk and couldn't get up" because it was the best blouse he had ever seen on me. There were no -witnesses to this comment.

-September 2008
Reeta Burton, a custodian, came in to the office and was telling us about her grandchildren. She was telling us how her children were having children at very young ages. Paul tells her that the only way to stop them from getting pregnant is with 2 ways. He told her he would type up something describing how to not get pregnant and still get pleasure. Christy Creel was in her office and heard all of it because she commented on it to me later.

-October 2008
Paul was telling me and Christy and Diane to go online and vote for his nephew for the 2008 Cosmopolitan Hottest Bachelor of the Year. A while later I was in his office and he was telling me that his niece was young and wild and made a gesture with his hand cupped out from his chest (I took this as he meant she was big chested). He then told me that she got into bed with him one time. He then proceeded to tell me that she was bi- polar. Then this led to him telling me about his "sex buddy" in Nashville that was bi- polar. He said that bi-polar women are really wild and that his "sex buddy" would want to have sex "the other way" and then would "perform oral sex immediately afterwards" There were no witnesses to this comment.

-October 2008
Lynn Wilson, our office manager, was taken to the hospital on a Thursday and was off the next day, Friday, too. At lunch time on the Friday Paul told me he was going to lunch with a "busty blonde." I walked down to the Clinic at lunchtime and he passed me, in the Ford 500 General Services department vehicle, and honked his horn at me. There was another woman in the vehicle that was not his wife. Later, when I got back from lunch, he brought her in to the office and introduced her to Danny Thornton and me. He, said she was a good friend of his. They went in his office and sat down and talked for a while. After she left, he told me that he didn't have lunch with her for no reason. That she had a business degree and was working part time for a temp. agency and that he and the Mayor were trying to help her find a job. He said that he and the Mayor both liked the same type of people, while raising his eyebrows up and down and smiling. He then said that if Lynn was out for an extended period of time that he could hire her temporary to do Lynn's job until Lynn came back. There were no witnesses to this comment. A few days later, a man came in that works with the City but I do not know his name, but he's a good friend with Paul. Paul says, "ask Jennifer, she'll tell you. Ask her." I looked at both of them, not know what was going on or what they wanted to ask me. The man wouldn't ask the question so Paul finally came out and said, "he wants to know if the blonde I brought in was good-lookin." My only response was, "which one?" Then they laughed and it was dropped.

-10-15-08 11:00am
I received a call from a lady asking to speak with Paul. I told her that he -wasn't available. She said he told her to call him about a custodial job. I told her that I would have him return her call and she said "he would know me as Michelle, the red head, at 'Wendy's." I gave Paul the message later and he wanted me to print off an employment application so he could go by Wendy's and give it to her. So I did what he told me. He then said she was "like that girl down at the DRC that works nights with big boobs, the one that works night shift, what's her name? Reeta!" There were no witnesses to this comment, however; he gave Lynn Wilson her application and talked with her a little about her.

-10-20-08
Today there was a meeting on Paul's calendar that said Michelle Brumlow at 4:00pm. I discovered that she was the girl he met at Wendy's because Lynn had her application that Paul had given her and her most recent place of employment was Wendy's, in which she was employed until this month. By the time I left work at 4:30pm she still had not shown up, though.

-There have also been many occasions when he invites women back to his office to try to find them a job. When he interviewed Christy for her job,he took her into his office alone with no one from Personnel and had the door shut. He had found Heather Darr, a previous employee, at a Dollar Store, and Reeta Burton, at CiCi's Pizza. Witnesses to seeing these women come in for an "interview" and hear Paul talk about these women have been Lynn Wilson and Bruce Keown.

-There was several times when Paul would tell me that he would have to put sideboards on my chair or in the department vehicle because I had gained so much weight. He had also said that I was much skinnier when he hired me. These comments have been made many times in which I did not document time and dates, but I remember them very clearly. Some witnesses that have heard him say -these comments to me were Bruce Keown, Lynn Wilson, and Danny Thornton. The times I can remember, the comments were said around my desk in the front of the office.

-Paul had made comments to Heather Darr telling her not to get married and would also get angry when she would have to pick up her sick baby from daycare. Witnesses to these types of comments were Lynn Wilson and Bruce Keown.

-There was a time when Lynn Wilson, Bruce Keown, Diane Erwin, and me were all in the break room at lunch. Paul had come in there and somehow the topic of conversation was politics. Then he said he had a joke to tell us. I don't remember the exact joke, but it ended with, "Hillary Clinton would make a great President if she had kneepads." All of us felt very uncomfortable and there was an awkward silence. Paul then said, "ya'll don't get what I'm talking about do -you?" We sort of just brushed him off and changed the subject.