Jarrell City Council fires city manager who filed sexual harassment complaint
JARRELL, Texas - Jarrell City Council has voted to fire its city manager.
The now-former employee, Danielle Singh, is calling her termination an act of retaliation. This happened after she filed harassment and discrimination complaints against three city council members earlier this year.
"It is pretty shocking that they would terminate her during an ongoing EEOC investigation," says Kaplan law firm attorney Tanner Scheef.
Danielle Singh began her term as city manager in 2023. Last month, she went on administrative leave at her own request after filing complaints with EEOC nearly six months ago.
"The allegations included unwanted touching, sexual comments, degrading comments and also comments made that simply because she was a woman with children, she wasn't fit to do her job," says Scheef.
On Tuesday, during a city council meeting, Danielle Singh was removed from her role as city manager in a 3-2 vote by city council members.
"Providing for the city manager's termination with cause and providing for an effective date immediately," says city council member Jeff Seidel.
"These three council members were the council members that voted to terminate our client, and they were the same ones that she made allegations against," says Scheef.
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According to Kaplan Law Firm attorney, Scheef, Jarrell City Council violated both state and federal employment law by engaging in unlawful retaliation against an employee who has an active complaint against members of the city council.
"Under federal law, she is protected in filing an EEOC charge and the federal right was violated. Obviously, it is a very difficult thing for her emotionally losing her job. She has 16 years of experience in municipal government," says Scheef.
During the city council meeting, there was back and forth on the selection of the interim city manager. There was a motion to replace the current interim city manager with Thomas Hertel, a candidate for Jarrell mayor, who is running against Mayor Patrick Sherek and a city council member.
"I'm going to tell you I do not support anybody coming in having the authority to hire and fire any of the city staff right now, not knowing the background or anything walking into this," says Jarrell city council member Tanya Clawson.
"We are talking about you being at the position and the steps that were not followed," says Jarrell Mayor Patrick Sherek.
"Show me in the code where that has to be done, where that has to be done, and I’ll do so," says Seidel.
"I'm not saying it has to be done, but it is a reasonable thing to do," says Mayor Sherek.
While the city council is working to determine who will take over the position, the law firm says they have tried to reach out to the City of Jarrell following the removal.
"We have been in correspondence with them since we filed our EEOC charge. We haven't been able to get in touch with them about the termination yet," said Scheef.
FOX 7 Austin has reached out to the city and has not heard back.