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Hernando Today

County Worker Fired For Sex Comments

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By Michael D. Bates

Hernando Today

Published: September 4, 2008

Brooksville - As the county's property management coordinator for the last two years, Michael Silvey was instrumental in acquiring right of way along Elgin Boulevard for road widening.

Silvey, a Department of Public Works employee, also coordinated the planning and purchasing of county-owned property.

Today, Silvey, 58, is out of his $53,622-a-year job. He was fired last Thursday for violating the county's harassment and discrimination policy when he was accused of making sexually inappropriate remarks to two women.

In an unrelated incident, a county utilities worker who was originally fired after being accused of violating the harassment policy, has won an appeal and will return to work following a brief suspension.

According to a document signed by a county HR employee, Josephine DiViccaro, Silvey called her between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. Aug. 26.

According to DiViccaro's statement, here is how the dialogue between her and Silvey went:

Silvey asked if she had spoken with a woman identified only as "Carol."

DiViccaro said she had.

"So then you know why I'm calling you," Silvey asked.

"I said, 'No, why are you calling me?'" DiViccaro said.

He replied, "I'm calling you for the same reason that I called Carol yesterday … for sex."

DiViccaro said she told Silvey that Carol called her and was very upset about the obscene phone call he made to her.

DiViccaro said, "Mike, I told Carol that you're sick and you need to get some help."

He denied needing "help" and continued by saying he just needed "sex."

DiViccaro reported the incident to a supervisor and later to the Hernando County Sheriff's Office.

Hernando County has a "no tolerance" policy regarding the violation of the harassment policy, which says that "any sexually harassing or offensive conduct, whether by managers, supervisors, employees or non-employees who enter the county's workplace, is prohibited."

Silvey's termination was highlighted in a disciplinary memo sent last week from County Administrator David Hamilton to Department of Public Works Director Charles Mixson.

In that memo, Hamilton said Mixson failed to document incidents of employee discipline.

Silvey caught heat during the Elgin Boulevard acquisition process, especially after a series of stories in Hernando Today showed homeowners along a 1.8-mile stretch of that road were getting negotiated settlements ranging from $55,000 to $325,000.

The county has spent about $4 million already in acquiring properties.

Another Employee Suspended

In a separate move, the county fired utilities department worker Carl Kennedy on Friday after he made a sexual remark directed toward a county employee.

However, Kennedy appealed the firing and the utilities department has agreed to suspend him for three days without pay, Deputy County Administrator Larry Jennings said Wednesday. Kennedy will then be on six months probation, Jennings said.

Kennedy told the employee to turn around, and then said, "If I had a swing like that on my back porch, I would take it apart screw by screw," according to the disciplinary form released by Human Resources.

Kennedy, 66, admitted making the remark. He makes $29,889 and works in grounds maintenance.

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

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