Updated 4 p.m. March 20
A former county finance office employee told commissioners Monday that County Manager Eddie Madden is “vindictive” and unable to separate personal disagreements from professional life.
Tess Norris worked for the county from June 2023 to July 2024. She said she was addressing commissioners not just on her own behalf, but for former and current employees who feared job insecurity or retaliation if they spoke out. Previously she said she had received nothing but “positive feedback” from coworkers and management.
On July 30, 2024, “I had an unsettling encounter with Mr. Madden,” she said. “In a meeting with the entire finance staff, he publicly singled me out in a manner that I and other employees found unprofessional and harsh. I was then summoned to a private meeting in the conference room where Mr. Madden proceeded to berate me.
“I had never been spoken to in such a demeaning manner,” Norris said.
Norris said she was confronted with concerns that had never before been mentioned, and Norris said she remained composed. She said she suggested they have another private meeting to discuss the issues in question.
“Minutes after this conversation, Human Resources informs me that my work station was being moved, effective immediately,” Norris said. “When I asked if the relocation had anything to do with the conversation I’d just had with Mr. Madden, the answer was ‘I’m not going to get in it, Tess’.
“I could not help but feel that this sudden relocation was directly linked to the interaction with Mr. Madden.”
Norris said she decided to resign her position with the Finance Department at that time, “knowing that the circumstances would make it impossible for me to continue. I feel he is vindicative and unwilling to let go of personal conflicts.” She said employees expected to be called out for “a facial expression or a lack thereof” during a meeting.
“I feel that employees who can avoid conflict or avoid crossing Mr. Madden arefairly safe,” she said, but there would repercussions for anyone who “crossed” the manager.
Norris said she has had interviews since leaving the county, and she was not hired when Madden’s name came up in the interview. Norris asked commissioners to look deeper into leadership issues with the county administration. Commissioners did not respond to Norris’ remarks during the public comment section of the meeting or during the commissioners’ comment time later in the meeting.
Madden said that he and Human Resources director Kay Stephens “have a different perspective” of the meeting that Mrs. Norris referred to and what was discussed. Stephens was also in the meeting, Madden said.
“Given that Mrs. Norris worked in the finance office, we determined at that time that it was in the county’s best interest to relocate Mrs. Norris’ office to mitigate any risk or concerns.”
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