Page 16 - Flathead Beacon // 12.9.15

NEWS
IN DEPTH
Fairgrounds Leadership Questioned
Discrimination complaints, nancial decisions under scrutiny, but fairgrounds administration says concerns are overblown
BTY MOLLY PRIDDY
he leadership of the Flathead County Fairgrounds is under re from a group of local resi- dents who say the grounds and
its administration are on a downward trajectory, highlighted by a recently set- tled discrimination complaint against the fairgrounds’ manager.
However, the fairgrounds’ administra- tion, led by manager Mark Campbell and the Flathead County Fair Board, reject the notion that the fairgrounds are under duress, and that the rumor mill is prov- ing to be more of an instigator than any real issues.
The issue came to a head most recently in April, when Flathead County paid out an $85,000 settlement to Nuggett Car- malt, who formerly worked as the O ce Assistant III in the Fair O ce. Carmalt led the complaint alleging that Camp- bell discriminated against her because she’s a woman.
On Nov. 23, Carmalt was back in front of the Flathead County Commission, commenting about various issues with the recent fair, such as county employees working jobs normally held by contracted workers, as well as the all-male makeup of the Fair Board.
In an interview with the Beacon, Car- malt said she’s upset at the direction the fairgrounds is headed, having worked there in some capacity since 1983. She said her goal is to ensure the traditions at the fair are upheld, while other main- stays, such as not having term limits for Fair Board members, should go.
Carmalt left her job with the fair- grounds after her complaint against Campbell was settled through the Human Rights Bureau, an arm of the state Department of Labor and Industry, but she said she misses the work.
“I never asked for money, never,” Car- malt said. “It was just about being treated the same.”
Campbell, who said he wasn’t involved with the settlement process, said he endeavored to do just that.
“On a personal level, I try to treat everyone the same,” Campbell said in an interview with the Beacon last week.
Carmalt led her suit against Camp- bell in early 2015, after working with him in the Fair O ce for four years. Campbell was hired in 2010 after the county made the controversial decision not to renew then-Manager Jay Scott’s contract.
The Beacon obtained copies of the investigation report and les from the
Flathead County fairgrounds manager Mark Campbell. GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON
Human Rights Bureau. In the report, the investigator found in favor of Carmalt’s complaints of discrimination.
In several instances, Carmalt alleges she was disciplined more harshly than her male counterparts. Much of the com- plaint centers on the idea of exing hours worked in a week to avoid putting in over- time. Both male and female employees report doing it, the investigation found, but only Carmalt was disciplined. The investigator reported that Campbell dis- ciplined Carmalt more frequently than male employees – since November 2012, Campbell had issued four disciplinary write-ups to Carmalt, compared to one letter of reprimand in 2013 and one in 2014 for all other employees.
And only female employees, including Carmalt, were required to sign a memo about giving ve days notice before tak- ing vacation time, the investigation found.
“Campbell’s actions, coupled with wit- ness statements, support Carmalt’s con- tention that Campbell treats females dif- ferently than males,” the Human Rights Bureau investigator wrote.
One of those statements, from main- tenance supervisor Tim Harmon, said
exing hours wasn’t an issue “until recently,” and that three years prior to the investigation, Campbell told him he has “a di cult time communicating with females.”
“Harmon does not believe Campbell treats Carmalt the same as he is treated, but he doesn’t know why,” the investiga- tion reported.
Other witnesses listed in the inves- tigation said they felt Campbell treated men with more respect than women, including seasonal employees. A few of the witnesses disagreed, including county Human Resources O cer Tammy Skramovsky, who said she doesn’t believe Campbell discriminated against Carmalt because she is female.
The Human Rights Bureau awarded Carmalt an $85,000 settlement. Now that she no longer works there, the fair o ce’s sta is entirely male.
“That’s just the way it worked out,” Campbell said.
He said he, along with a panel includ- ing two women, interviewed four people for Carmalt’s former position, and the person they felt best t the job require- ments happened to be a man.
T
the Fair Board, which provides direction for the fairgrounds manager. The Flat- head County Commission appoints Fair Board members.
Karen Enger, a former seasonal employee at the fair for six years, believes the all-male makeup of the Fair Board isn’t by chance. In February, after she wasn’t selected for an opening on the fair board, Enger wrote a letter published in the Daily Inter Lake, questioning why someone with her quali cations wouldn’t be chosen, calling the board a “good old boys club” without term limits.
Enger told the Beacon she intended on ling a discrimination complaint as well, because she wasn’t hired back as a run- ner. A runner works to get the booths and displays ready, and during the fair trans- fers excess money from ticket booths to the banker.
She said she was told she was the best runner at the fair in previous years, but this year was not called back to work. Enger believes it is because of her sup- port for Carmalt and her letter critical of the Fair Board.
hough she left her job in the fair o ce,
Carmalt recently applied to serve on
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DECEMBER 9, 2015 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM