Tennille DeCoste, the former Boynton Beach human resources director, filed a whistleblower lawsuit in November, claiming she was fired because she complained the city manager had told her to stop hiring too many Black women.
City Manager Daniel Dugger has denied making any such comments to DeCoste.
DeCoste was fired on Feb. 23 by the city for intermingling her job duties with her campaign for the Delray Beach City Commission, which she eventually lost. She was employed with Boynton Beach for 14 months at a $188,000 annual salary.
According to the Nov. 6 lawsuit, DeCoste filed a complaint with Mayor Ty Penserga that Dugger had told her to stop hiring so many Black women. Five days later she was placed on administrative leave.
An independent investigator looked not only into anonymous complaints that DeCoste let her political campaign bleed into her duties, but her allegation against Dugger as well.
The investigator, Stephanie Marchman from the GrayRobinson law firm, said she found DeCoste to be untruthful when questioned. Marchman concluded DeCoste misused a city debit card and asked city employees to contribute to her political campaign, among other violations of city policy.
DeCoste in her lawsuit said the city circumvented policy by not using progressive discipline and that she was never afforded an opportunity to clear her name at a formal hearing.
While she was on administrative leave as Marchman investigated, the city terminated four Black women hired during DeCoste’s employment, the lawsuit stated.
— John Pacenti
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