The day after DeKalb County's chief operating officer was fired for having an affair with an administrative assistant in the water department, the county announced Friday it was investigating allegations of sexual harassment against another top official, also involving an administrative assistant in the water department.
Angelita McDaniel was fired from her job in March for excessive absenteeism, county records show. But a hearing officer this week gave McDaniel her job back after she testified that her boss, Francis Kung'u, head of watershed management, made improper advances toward her.
Kung'u on Friday said McDaniel's statements are untrue.
“I have no type of relationship other than of a professional nature,” Kung'u said.
DeKalb CEO Burrell Ellis said Friday that the county's human resources department has begun an investigation.
McDaniel contacted The Atlanta Journal-Constitution after the newspaper reported an affair between Chief Operating Officer Keith Barker and water department secretary Dana TraBue. Barker was fired Thursday.
McDaniel said she had been on medical leave and that her termination was in retaliation after she stopped a relationship with Kung’u.
She said she would go to Kung’u’s office every morning and he would kiss her on the cheek and rub her back. She said she went to dinner with him several times and said she ceased communication with him when the touching increased.
“I felt uncomfortable and was scared I would lose my job so I didn’t say anything for a long time,” McDaniel told the AJC. “I just want to be free of harassment.”
Kung’u said he has never kissed or touched any of his staff members inappropriately.
Kung’u said he has hugged female employees and he did go to dinner with McDaniel and others. “She wanted to share some information with me about the department,” he said. “I have an open door policy. I go to lunch and dinner with all my employees. It’s not a romantic encounter. It’s professional discussions.”
McDaniel, who has filed a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, will begin work in the sanitation department on Tuesday, said Burke Brennan, a spokesman for the CEO.
Neither McDaniel nor any other county employee has filed a sexual harassment complaint with the county this week, but Brennan said the human resources department decided to be proactive and investigate the allegations.
Kung’u, who is married, said he was not at the hearing in which McDaniel made the allegations, but a county attorney told him about her statements afterward.
“I looked at the transcript and they were awful,” he said.
County commissioners, who learned of the allegations from the AJC, said they are concerned about the number of open positions at top levels of county government.
In addition to needing a new COO, the county also has vacancies in the directorships of finance, planning and human resources.
“It’s a very problematic situation,” Commissioner Jeff Rader said. “Barker was supposed to be developing the budget in the absence of the finance director. And now, I currently can’t think of anyone in administration who I would support to be in that position.”
The commission will meet in closed session Tuesday to discuss possible appointments, Rader said.
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