Former Whitehall treasurer Alyssa Seaver is pursuing potential legal action against the city regarding civil rights violations she claims city manager Scott Huebler committed during her employment, her attorney Crystal Bultje confirmed to the Mirror July 10.
The move comes after Seaver's June resignation as assistant treasurer. She'd previously been demoted from the treasurer role by Huebler. Seaver has since been working with Bultje, a West Michigan-based civil rights attorney who wrote a letter to the city earlier this month claiming Seaver's civil rights have been violated and she has grounds for litigation.
Calls to Huebler and Seaver regarding the issue were not returned at press time. Due to the nature of the situation, city attorney Will Meier declined to comment. Bultje also declined to comment, instead providing the Mirror with a copy of the letter.
Bultje's letter accuses Huebler of violating the Whistleblower's Protection Act with his behavior towards her after Seaver attempted to report Huebler's "improperly and illegally reversing nearly $40,000" in water bills "against the advice of the city's auditors" to the Whitehall council and mayor Steven Salter last November.
It was a few weeks later, on Dec. 12, that Huebler gave Seaver a written reprimand, which Bultje claimed was filled with "fabricat(ed) performance issues" in response to Seaver's efforts. The reprimand made clear that further conduct "as noted in this letter will result in termination."
Among the performance issues Huebler cited in the reprimand, which the Mirror obtained this week via a Freedom of Information Act request, were accusations he said Seaver made of other employees (names were redacted). Among those accusations were of other employees falsifying their time sheets, being under the influence of marijuana in the office, and manipulating schedules. The reprimand also enumerated several complaints Seaver allegedly made about a lack of support she was receiving in the office, others' dress attire, and towards Huebler himself, citing complaints Seaver filed with both Meier and the Michigan Municipal League "regarding (Huebler's) management style." The reprimand also accused Seaver of making two different requests that other employees be terminated "for incompetence."
The reprimand further said there were things Seaver had done that, while within her purview, were not handled "in an appropriate managerial manner," such as questioning others on their budget management and questioning continuing benefits for a redacted employee "despite being told this was based on Will's legal opinion."
On May 27 of this year, further issues arose when Huebler demoted Seaver to assistant treasurer. In the demotion, also obtained via FOIA request, Huebler informed Seaver this move was being made "in the best interest of the City" and that her pay would be frozen "until such time as your wage falls within the assistant finance officer/treasurer range."
Bultje claims this move was also retaliatory; in her letter to the city, she wrote that Seaver discovered "Huebler had falsified the numbers" in a budget amendment she was submitting to the city council and attempted to report the discrepancy to the council, but was blocked by Huebler's tabling of the amendment. The demotion, Bultje said, occurred the same day. The council did pass a budget amendment that evening.
"We believe he did this to reduce her credibility with (the city) council in attempts to silence her from reporting his wrongdoings," Bultje wrote.
After Seaver's resignation, Huebler told the Mirror he and assistant finance manager Brook Schiller would team up to handle the treasurer duties, but Schiller said this month that "there has been zero activity on Scott's part to do the finance manager job...all the work has been on me."
"There's stuff I don't know," Schiller said. "I'm willing to learn and to train, but when I approached Scott about a temporary increase in pay (to account for the extra duties), he basically blew me off."
Schiller, who has worked for the city for eight years, was close professionally and personally with Seaver, she said, and since Seaver's departure has felt ostracized in the city offices. She also claimed she's not been approached about applying for the treasurer position despite currently performing its duties, and that other Muskegon County treasurers have told her they are upset at what has occurred.
"Scott asked me to post the job, but he hasn't even asked me if I'm interested in applying," Schiller said. "It's frustrating...Now, no one speaks to me in the office unless they need something."
Bultje wrote in her letter that her firm believes Seaver "is legally entitled" to damages due to "financial and emotional distress she has endured because of Mr. Huebler's actions" and would like to negotiate a settlement to prevent "the time, expense and public nature of litigation." However, if a settlement cannot be negotiated, she wrote that she will continue to investigate the situation.
Huebler is set to transition to an advisory role next week before his planned August retirement; the Whitehall city council and new city manager Daniel Tavernier agreed to a Tuesday, July 29 start date during this week's council meeting.
Schiller said Seaver's aim in pursuing litigation is to get her job back, "or at least get Huebler out of there sooner."
"For him, it's about control," Schiller said. "It seems like he's trying to make (Tavernier) a duplicate (of himself)."
