LEWISTON — An investigation into a complaint by former City Administrator Heather Hunter against Mayor Carl Sheline and Council President Scott Harriman found that no hostile work environment was created, but that Sheline at times engaged in “chauvinistic” and dismissive behavior during a deeply “personal” situation that was beyond repair.

Heather Hunter is shown in 2017 with former Lewiston City Administrator Ed Barrett. She resigned as city administrator March 28 and signed a separation agreement with the City Council in May that gave her six months of severance pay. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal file

Hunter resigned March 28 following weeks of controversy over the city’s handling of a temporary closure of Davinci’s Eatery and the resulting decision to part ways with longtime Code Enforcement Director David Hediger and proposal to end to local health inspections.

At the time, several current and former code enforcement staff shared criticism of city administration as staff turnover continued at City Hall, with staff and former councilors also speaking out against Hunter’s leadership.

However, when Hunter resigned, she also filed a complaint against Sheline and Harriman that said the pair created a hostile work environment as a form of retaliation for voicing her concerns.

In response, the City Council hired private investigator Toby Tiner, Jr. to conduct an investigation into the complaint. Tiner issued a report on his investigation to the council on May 20, a week before the City Council and Hunter signed a separation agreement that agreed to pay Hunter a severance of six months salary of $76,771.

Hunter’s complaint, filed along with her resignation notice, said the city, through council leadership, “failed to keep personnel matters confidential as required by law, protect me from further retaliation for speaking up and to take action to end practices where employees’ rights are violated, ethics rules are violated, and personal grudges are pursued to the detriment of the city and city employees like me.”

In the complaint, Hunter said she did not want the complaint to be made public, but the Sun Journal obtained heavily redacted versions of both the complaint and Tiner’s report through a Freedom of Access Act request.

The redacted sections of both documents include information relating to city employees (not elected city officials) that is designated confidential by statute.

The investigation had nine witness interviews that included members of the “current city council, city administration, city leaders, and one former city employee (leader).” All witnesses, except for Hunter, Sheline and Harriman, did not want to be identified in the report, which Tiner agreed to.

Tiner’s report said there was not enough evidence for him to conclude “within a reasonable degree of probability” that a hostile work environment was created or that Sheline or Harriman retaliated against Hunter for speaking up or raising workplace concerns in the past.

However, it says that most witnesses described Sheline as “displaying behavior that could be perceived as chauvinistic,” and that Sheline “sometimes appears to speak down to and be dismissive of some women.”

“However, the same witnesses also described instances where Carl displayed similar behavior toward men, particularly during instances where someone does not agree with his suggestions/direction,” the report states.

Tiner said that while he did not conclude that Sheline or Harriman engaged in any illegal conduct, “it did feel personal.”

“Most witnesses indicated that they would have liked to have seen Heather continue in her role, but they also agreed that this situation was unlikely to be repaired or reversed,” it states.

The report goes on to say that by most accounts Hunter was viewed as “a good, loyal, and productive employee,” and that her “many years of service, her performance evaluations, and the numerous letters of support from city department leaders following her resignation support this sentiment.”

Lewiston Mayor Carl Sheline gets ready Jan. 2 before the start of the City of Lewiston Inaugural Ceremony at the Franco Center in Lewiston. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal file

Reached Monday, Sheline said he supported the investigation.

“This has been an opportunity to listen deeply and grow as a mayor and as a member of the community in Lewiston,” he said. “I remain committed to being open and listen to ideas across the spectrum.”

Under the terms of the separation agreement between the council and Hunter, both parties agreed not to “denigrate, disparage, criticize or defame” the other party.

A section of the report said that when asked to describe his relationship with Heather, Sheline responded that while they did not always align philosophically, he felt that they had a cordial relationship. However, Hunter believed Sheline “viewed her as a barrier and as having been aligned with the previous council majority.”

“Heather shared that she never felt comfortable meeting with Carl one-on-one and routinely asked Deputy Administrator Brian O’Malley to be present during meetings with Carl,” it states.

Sheline was reelected to a three-year term in December 2023.

The report also addresses Hunter’s inclusion of Harriman in the complaint, with Tiner stating that while Harriman is referenced, Sheline was “the primary focus of her concerns.”

“Heather viewed Scott as someone who was heavily influenced by Carl, following his lead/direction,” Tiner said.

The report states that during a City Council executive session on Jan. 16 of this year, Sheline and Harriman excused Hunter and O’Malley from the meeting prior to its completion.

Lewiston City Councilor Scott Harriman speaks at a Lewiston City Council meeting Oct. 17, 2023. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

Tiner said he “agreed with Heather’s assessment that (Harriman), at least early on, was merely following Carl’s direction.”

Reached Monday, Harriman said that while he disagreed with Hunter on some things, “I felt like our relationship was professional and cordial.”

“I only had one real complaint during our time working together, which was related to behavior by a group of councilors early in 2022, but I addressed it during the employee review process,” he said. “I was glad to cooperate with this investigation and get to the bottom of Administrator Hunter’s concerns.”

Leading up to Hunter’s resignation, questions swirled among the public and city staff regarding who ultimately was responsible for the decision to fire Hediger.

The power to hire or fire department heads lies with the administrator, but in her complaint, Hunter refers to the DaVinci’s controversy, stating, “I would never ask an employee to go against code or a regulation, but I will ask them to help navigate the business through the issue. The city of Lewiston should not be picking favorites.”

“When elected officials ask me and other city employees to bend the rules for some businesses and not others, that’s a violation of our policies,” she said.

Sheline has maintained that he has never pressured city staff to give preferential treatment to a local business.