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Hernando Today

Dupre Admonished Over Campaign Cards

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By MICHAEL D. BATES, Hernando Today

Published: January 5, 2008

BROOKSVILLE - County Human Resources Director Barbara Dupre maintains she did nothing wrong when she kept candidate petition cards on top of her desk on the third floor government building.

She said she never campaigned for anyone during work hours and violated no policy.

However, when County Commissioner Diane Rowden said she got an anonymous phone call informing her of the cards, the commissioner informed Dupre's supervisor, then-County Administrator Gary Kuhl.
Kuhl investigated the incident, talked to Dupre's office staff, and decided that if the open display of voter cards - used to help candidates get on the ballot - was not a violation of the county's political activity restriction policy, it was indeed "poor judgment" on Dupre's part.

"Please in the future, make sure that any political activities are conducted outside of the work place and on your own time," Kuhl wrote in an Oct. 8 memo to Dupre.
Kuhl forwarded a copy to then-Deputy County Administrator Larry Jennings, and requested another copy be placed in Dupre's personnel file.

Normally, that would be the end of the story.

However, the incident has mushroomed and further questions have surfaced regarding how the candidate cards were found and why Kuhl's letter was never put in Dupre's file - at least until a reporter questioned it Friday.

And, perhaps even more serious, Dupre is accusing Rowden, or someone she knows, of illegally obtaining access to her unlocked office on the third floor after hours and going through her belongings to find something to be used against her.
Dupre said Rowden has long held a grudge against her and she finds it astonishing the county commissioner would stoop so low as to rifle through her belongings. Although Dupre admitted she had no such proof.

How else, Dupre asked, would someone have found out about the campaign cards sitting atop the credenza behind her desk?
Rowden vehemently denied the allegations.

"It's not the truth," she said. "It's a fabrication."
Rowden admits she has disagreed with Dupre's method of handling matters and has not been shy about voicing those concerns during public meetings. But she said she would never resort to such underhanded methods.

"I've known about this since October and this is January," she said. "Why wouldn't I have said something about it sooner?"

Dupre To Rowden:

Stop Harassing Me

The events leading up to Friday's actions began last week when a Hernando Today reporter - following a tip that Kuhl had written a letter of reprimand concerning Dupre's campaign cards - looked through her personnel file, where all disciplinary notices must be kept.

State law prohibits government employees from campaigning during working hours.

Kuhl's letter was not in Dupre's personnel file.

When asked about the candidate petitions Friday morning and the existence of the letter, Dupre admitted she kept the cards - some of which were signed - on the credenza behind her desk. She couldn't remember how many cards she had and wouldn't specify which candidates she was helping.

She also said she knew of Kuhl's Oct. 8 letter.

When asked why she hadn't placed it in her personnel jacket, she said she "hadn't had time to file it."
Dupre said she also does not believe the letter was a formal disciplinary letter.

However, Dupre said she placed Kuhl's letter in her personnel file Friday after the interview with a Hernando Today reporter.
Dupre said she is not trying to hide anything. When asked to supply a copy of the letter to Hernando Today, she did so.

Now, she is contemplating reporting the unauthorized search of her office to law enforcement officials.

"We expect some level of privacy," Dupre said.

In the Oct. 8 letter, Kuhl said Dupre, as county human resources director, is "expected to set an example of behavior for the county's employees.

But even county employees have a right to participate in the political process, Dupre said.

"As county employees, we are all entitled to participate in political campaigns, as long as it's done off hours," she said. "We have a vested interest in who's elected, and so I think it's only natural to want to be part of that process."

However, Dupre said her "bigger concern is that (Rowden) has been harassing me since she was elected, and I would just wish that she would stop."

Kuhl: At Least

24 Petition Cards

Kuhl, now public works director in Sumter County, said Friday he was obligated to investigate the incident and he did so, even enlisting the help of the county's legal staff.
Kuhl said he determined that, although no policy was violated, he did deem it important enough to write the matter up and require it be placed in Dupre's personnel file.

"To me, we were just giving her some guidance and saying, 'Look Barbara, please don't do this in the future,'" said Kuhl, who added he didn't think of the letter as disciplinary.
Kuhl said there were anywhere from 12 to 24 petition cards in Barbara's office, although he cannot recall the names.

The most recent confrontation between Rowden and Dupre was during an Oct. 16 county board meeting when commissioners discussed the selection of the vacant county administrator position.
Rowden called Dupre's involvement in the recruitment process "unethical."

"We've got to stop the nonsense," Rowden said. "We do not have a level of trust in this county for our human resources director."

Reporter Michael D. Bates can be reached at 352-544-5290 or mbates@hernandotoday.com.

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