After we first posted the story of the firing of 25 year employee Reggie Wilson by the Secretary of the Virginia State Board of Elections Nancy Rodrigues, we received numerous emails describing the top quality work of Mr. Wilson from multiple parties who have firsthand information about what is taking place at the Virginia State Board of Elections. One reader gave us permission to post this account:
“Today, SBE lost one of its veteran employees, Reggie Wilson. Mr. Wilson has worked tirelessly advancing elections in Virginia. As the agency’s Business Manager, he was instrumental in developing the agency’s ability to report election results electronically. The agency received the Gracie Award in recognition of this achievement. The agency’s Campaign Finance electronic software application was implemented years ago, in large part, because of Mr. Wilson’s efforts. While the technology has changed over the years, Mr. Wilson was a visionary who saw a need to move from paper filing to electronic filing. Mr. Wilson was also the person who established numerous databases throughout the agency to improve the efficiency of the work for various departments at SBE. However, today, Ms. Rodrigues undermined Mr. Wilson’s accomplished career by tainting Mr. Wilson’s reputation and defaming him. In her zest to retaliate against Mr. Wilson because of her engagement in improper, illegal . . . behavior in procuring the Election Information Services contract, Mr. Rodrigues set out to destroy the livelihood of a dedicated and loyal employee.”
Election Law Center has been monitoring events at the Virginia SBE and has accumulated a great deal of information about mismanagement, abuse and contract corruption at the SBE. There are apparently individuals who work there, namely the executive director, who could be fired tomorrow for this mess. So far, it seems that the only people being fired are the hard working employees who make the trains run despite the mismanagement of the agency.
Well, there was no firing for the mess at SBE; only endorsement by McDonnell Administration officials. Seemingly. McDonnell Administration officials announced to staff on August 12th that they had concluded an internal investigation and fully support Nancy Rodrigues. They suggested to staff that threats against fellow co-workers and mumbling would not be tolerated and if that could not be followed that employees should seek alternative employment. It is reported that the internal investigation by Administration officials by definition is talking over things amongst themselves. No employee at SBE who had been involved in the circumstances reported at Election Law Center was contacted for their input during an internal investigation. So, the beat goes on w/Nancy Rodrigues. Tragically, an employee at the Virginia Quarterly Review at UVA took his own life after extensive bullying by his boss. There were 17 documented calls made by the employee to University officials reaching out for help in the last couple of weeks leading up to his untimely death. Over the past month, employees have published their testimonies of gross mismanagement, invasion of privacy, illegal procurement activity, questionable terminations and firings, racial discrimination in the workplace, employees being treated meaningly and all carried out at the direction of one, Nancy Rodrigues, with a limited supporting cast. Well Virginians, this is really a sad state of affairs. Is employee health, well-being and life in the workplace fallen so low that it is now worthless and priceless and no one will accept responsibility when things go terribly wrong. Virginians, we are better than that. Governor and Administration officials, we are better than that. Voters, we are better than that. Administration officials do not think about what the political fallout will be by doing the right thing in Virginia and dealing with the SBE matters swiftly and with resolve. Thank you.
“Bullying” is an appropriate term for the actions of the current management at SBE. I loved working there and was very good at my job, but they took away the parts I enjoyed most, put me under a “manager” who knew nothing about my job and
took an extended vacation at our busiest time of year, manufactured lies with no evidence (only the manager’s “word” so they could not be fought), and piled on such a heavy workload and unreasonable deadlines that only a person who didn’t care at all about the quality of their work product could have met. Yes, “bullying” is an accurate name for it. I read the story of that dedicated UVA employee and could identify with his plight. There were many nights while working for Nancy Rodrigues that I went to bed thinking that it would be so much easier if I never awoke. My superiors at SBE knew I was in counseling and received regular reports through the state employee assistance program but that only made them bear down harder on known vulnerabilities to push me further and further into the depths. It was sheer Hell, but I worry about friends who are still there.
To clarify, I was in counseling because of depression caused by the turmoil at SBE. In the guise of “helping” me, my managers used what they learned in confidentiality to make it worse and worse.
I can only compare the experience to the loss of a close family member.
Watching an agency I had always respected, and had loved working for, being subverted for political purposes and destroyed from within was akin to a death in the family.
I remember Nancy Rodrigues, not long after her arrival, telling us that “not one dime” of the HAVA money would be left in the state’s coffers when she left the agency. Her predecessor had planned out use of the funds to help cover the continuing costs of implementing the federal HAVA law. Nancy was determined to spend it all, including the funds that had been set aside to pay for certain staff primarily performing HAVA functions. She never made it clear why she wanted to spend it all and leave the agency in a lurch (with unfunded positions that the state would have to pick up or eliminate). She just wanted to spend it, and couldn’t even clearly tell us what she planned to buy with it(saying “contracts for my friends” would had us all calling the state’s Waste, Fraud and Abuse Hotline that day).
When Nancy Rodrigues revealed her plans for SBE to do PR to help increase registration and turnout (particularly among young people) for the presidential primaries and election, a then-manager asked if the agency was prepared to fund and carry out the same level of publicity every year thereafter. If not, SBE’s neutrality and reputation would be threatened. Promoting registration and turnout selectively was politics, not administration. Nancy Rodrigues replied that the publicity would be continued at the same level, but SBE’s own website shows that it was not.
I should have left the agency after one particular election night which provided a clear sign that SBE had changed. When the networks called the election there were loud shouts and cheers from P— S—‘s office. He was still working (on the unofficial results on our website), but J—- A—- and other friends/relations of the two had gathered there, watching the news coverage.
I had never heard SBE staff react to election results other than to express a sense of relief — whoever won — that margins were outside of the “recount zone.” But on this election night, one office at SBE sounded like a campaign headquarters. It was a startling and sickening sound…a death knell for the agency’s reputation.
Many of the SBE staff knew what this employee was experiencing because of the bullying but were silent. I, for one, am sorry that I was so silent and did not reach out to this employee to try to help in a meaningful way. Nancy Rodrigues has a way of bullying and intimidating employees which creates a hostile work environment and causes employees to fear for their jobs which is paralizing. She would imply that kind of treatment could befall you at any time. I saw this employee slipping away a little each day and did nothing. Reading this comment has made me ashamed that this employee, a part of the SBE family, a wonderful co-worker, a dedicated worker and a friend, suffered this hell alone. I now realize and understand the devastating affect of bullying. It brings to mind, an employee at SBE who is currently going through the very same thing. The tragic death of the UVA employee has very much brought this to the forefront for me. To my friend who wrote this comment, I apologize to you for not being a better friend during your time of need. I very well know you ended-up in a much better place than what you endured at SBE, but, I too, worry about friends who are still there. Peace and blessings.