A resident of the Town of Normal has accused council member Kathleen Lorenz of yelling and swearing at town workers about town leadership during an incident last month in Uptown.
Documents acquired by WGLT under the Freedom of Information Act also indicated two later interactions with the engineering technicians. One was an apology session supervised by a town staff member. Another, following that mediation, was in a town parking deck during which Lorenz accosted the workers and renewed the conversation. Town administration has raised the issue of retaliation by Lorenz in response to the third interaction.
The resident emailed the mayor and council members that the resident was walking along Constitution Trail to meet friends at a restaurant early in the evening of June 3. They said they heard a raised voice and saw Lorenz “berating” two workers for parking their town vehicles in a public parking lot.
“The employees looked shell-shocked as this was happening,” said the email.
The resident, whose name and email address were redacted in the documents, said they “witnessed something they never thought they would see publicly.”
“Do you feel powerful when you yell at town employees that way? Doesn’t it make you feel tough to do that out in public and try to embarrass them,” wrote the resident. “I’m embarrassed for you Ms. Lorenz. That was beyond shameful.”
Other documents obtained by WGLT showed the workers reported the incident to their supervisor, Engineering and Public Works Director Ryan Otto, the next morning. The resident emailed their complaint a day after that. The workers told Otto that Lorenz approached them and told them, “You can’t park here.”
“Ms. Lorenz scolded them like they we [sic] were little kids,” wrote Otto.
The workers told Otto they explained to Lorenz they had parked there temporarily and were in the process of moving their trucks to an area in a parking deck reserved for town vehicles.
Lorenz complained about the size of the “large” town trucks in the lot. She later wrote there were six town vehicles parked there.
“In the course of the conversation Ms. Lorenz stated that they were getting shit direction from above. She also stated it was shit leadership from Pam Reece [City Manager],” according to Otto’s account of the debrief.
Otto’s report indicated the workers told Lorenz “they were always willing to park wherever appropriate and as directed.”
In their initial complaint, the resident expressed disappointment and embarrassment and asked council members whether they can reprimand or censure Lorenz, saying no council member should behave that way to anyone. They also called out Lorenz directly.
“I genuinely hope you’re doing some soul-searching this week after that incident, and I hope you apologize to those employees. If you’re not doing either of those things, then please do all of us taxpayers a favor and resign.”
Lorenz reply
A June 5 email reply from Lorenz to the resident claimed several aspects of the account were inaccurate. Lorenz said her conversation with the workers was not spontaneous and that she had raised concerns with town leadership regarding the use of a limited parking area in Uptown by town-owned vehicles. Lorenz said that was not the first time she had raised that concern.
A June 5 email by City Manager Pam Reece supported Lorenz’s assertion she had complained to staff about the issue at about 8:30 a.m. on June 3.
“Typical practice is that Department heads [in this instance, Ryan Otto and Mark Clinch] would be notified of council concerns and discuss solutions with their staff and Admin as appropriate,” wrote Reece.
Reece’s email indicated she relayed the concern to a department head at about 4 p.m. June 3, an hour before the incident.
“My concern was with the practice and the decisions that lead to public parking being used in that manner, not with the employees themselves. Within approximately an hour, the vehicles had been relocated, restoring parking access for Uptown visitors and patrons,” wrote Lorenz to the resident.
Lorenz said she stands by raising the use of public parking resources and believes it is her responsibility to advocate for residents, businesses and visitors.
“I will continue to do so while striving to communicate those concerns respectfully and effectively,” wrote Lorenz. “I regret if my frustration with the situation created discomfort for those involved or for those who witnessed the conversation.”
Staff response
City Manager Pam Reece’s June 5 email criticized Lorenz for the “incredibly unfortunate” communication with the workers in “such a demeaning and unbecoming manner.”
Reece said it reflects poorly on the council but also on the entire organization. She wrote she does not intend to engage in further communication on the issue since Lorenz “disparaged the organization, its leadership and me.”
Reece said Lorenz could contact the mayor and/or the town attorney about how to respond to the issue and that it is for the council to address, not staff.
Mayor response
A June 7 email from Mayor Chris Koos to Lorenz alleged this is not the first time Lorenz has behaved that way.
“In a spontaneous meeting before the last election you berated city Manager Reece [sic] in an angry, expletive laden tirade in front of me and then Assistant Manager Hansen. This behavior is unprofessional and unbecoming of an elected official,” wrote Koos.
Koos said council members [in April] signed a pledge to a Code of Ethics to act professionally and respectfully, one that he thinks Lorenz violated. He called the behavior “unacceptable” and that Lorenz needed to consider how to address the violation. He noted the incident was likely to become public.
“This must be done, to reassure the public of our strong commitment to the Code of Ethics that we on the Normal Town Council claim to honor,” wrote Koos.
Koos wrote the entire council is “quite aware” of Lorenz’s negative opinion of Reece and that Lorenz needs to accept she is in the “extreme minority.”
Lorenz replied that next steps and conclusions were premature. She said her take on the issue had yet to be heard.
“The version of events presented to Council does not fully align with my recollection of the interaction,” said Lorenz.
Lorenz disputed the allegation she used profanity and said the employees didn’t explain they were temporarily unloading.
Council weigh-ins
At least two council members responded to the issue by email. Council member Karyn Smith replied to the resident June 6.
“Please accept my apology for this unfortunate incident. The Town of Normal employees are exemplary and deserving of our appreciation and gratitude for all that they do. I am so sorry this happened,” wrote Smith.
Council member Scott Preston wrote June 7 that he "had not asked to be included [in Lorenz’s response to Mayor Koos] and am not aligned with her [Lorenz] on this.”
Preston said the issue was with leadership not workers.
“I think she was wrong to confront the employees in the parking lot,” said Preston. “I’ve asked her to leave me off further correspondence on this without the rest of the council.”
Not the end of it
On June 12, records indicated Lorenz met with the workers in the presence of a supervisor because Lorenz had asked “to apologize to the two employees.”
Reece said in an email the session was “an opportunity for you to express your apology and demonstrate the high ideals of respectfulness and leadership expected of Normal Town Council members.”
The discussion reportedly lasted a few minutes.
Reece said Lorenz then approached the employees in the parking deck. Reece said choosing to initiate a second conversation outside the presence of management “demonstrated incredibly poor judgment and a lack of respect for the boundaries between elected officials, town leadership and staff.”
“We need to be very intentional about providing a safe work environment, free from potential retaliation for all employees,” wrote Reece.
Reece said the workers said the encounter left them feeling “very uncomfortable.”
Reece expressed disappointment in Lorenz and said no further conversation with town staff and Lorenz will be scheduled on this issue.
Lorenz declined WGLT’s request for an interview. In a brief phone conversation, Lorenz said her recollection of the events “differs materially” from other accounts.
Technically, the town council has a single employee: the city manager. Lorenz did not answer the question whether it is ever appropriate for a council member to lodge complaints with rank-and-file town employees. Lorenz said if she feels a response to this story is warranted, she will reach out after reading it.
Koos' answer to the question is no. He told WGLT that it is not a council member's job to directly involve themself in town operations. Koos said council members should go through the city manager.
"Hierarchy and structure are there for a reason and we should follow that," said Koos.
He said it's important for council members to understand that town workers consider council members "their boss' boss' boss," and that a negative approach by a council member can be fraught.
"It can make them worry about their employment. It's intimidating to them," said Koos.
What's next
Koos said the ethics code council members signed is self-regulating.
"It's up to her, how this goes forward," said Koos.
He noted some council members suggested the council censure Lorenz, though apparently not a majority. Koos said he does not share that sentiment.
"I feel censure might be appropriate for repetitive actions, not for a one-off," said Koos.
He distinguished the two incidents in which Lorenz is said to have used profanity by saying the first one was not in a public setting and did not involve rank-and-file workers.
Timeline
This timeline is based on the WGLT reporting above:
- June 3 - 8:30 a.m., Council member Kathleen Lorenz complains about town vehicle parking during a meeting with administration
- June 3 - 4 p.m., City Manager Pam Reece relays Lorenz concern to department heads
- June 3 - 5 p.m., Lorenz accosts town workers
- June 4 - morning, Workers report incident to supervisor who reported the account up the chain
- June 5 - 7:36 p.m., Resident sends email complaint to mayor and council
- June 5 - 9:19 p.m., Lorenz responds to resident email, copies mayor, council and administration
- June 5 - 11:11 p.m., Reece emails mayor and council with worker account of incident and copy of ethics code
- June 6 - 4:30 p.m., Council member Karyn Smith responds to resident complaint
- June 7 - 2:28 p.m., Mayor Chris Koos emails Lorenz regarding her behavior
- June 7 - 3:31 p.m., Lorenz responds to mayor's email
- June 7 - 5:33 p.m., Council member Scott Preston emails mayor, distancing himself from Lorenz
- June 12 - 12 p.m., Lorenz meets with engineering technicians to apologize to them in the presence of an HR representative
- June 12 - Lorenz approaches workers again in parking deck outside a supervisor's presence
- June 12 - 1:42 p.m. City Manager emails Lorenz about 2nd interaction and requests Lorenz have no further contact with workers
