Oneida County Board to hear both sides of charges against Tammy Walters

According to Oneida County Corporation Counsel Brian Desmond, the Evidentiary Hearing is required because Walters is a county appointed official. Oneida County attorney Desmond and Walters’ attorney will present evidence. Per state statute, Walters is allowed to demand the evidence portion of the hearing be heard in open session. Desmond says Walters has made that request.

The hearing will begin at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 7 in the county boardroom.

The eight verified charges against Tammy Walters are as follows:

1. Ms. Walters engaged in unauthorized use of property, including but not limited to, vehicles, telephones, copy machines, or mail service or computer hardware, software, modems, networks, electronic communication systems or the unauthorized copying of software or records for personal use; specifically, allowing a volunteer to use her proximity card to gain entrance into the courthouse and veteran service office.

2. Ms. Walters threatened, intimidated, interfered with or used abusive or profane language toward others including ethnic slurs; specifically, speaking loudly to buildings and grounds staff in a public location using profanity.

3. Ms. Walters engaged in dishonesty or made false or malicious statements concerning other employees, supervisors or the county: specifically, lying to human resources director when asked about attending a meeting in which her office was closed on July 18, 2014.

4. Ms. Walters engaged in dishonesty or made false or malicious statements concerning other employees, supervisors of the county: specifically, lying to her committee of jurisdiction by stating that she attended a meeting on July 18, 2014, when she did not, in fact, attend the meeting.

5. Ms. Walters was insubordinate, disobedient, failed or refused to follow the written or oral instruction of supervisor authority or to carry out work assignments: specifically, was told during investigatory interview on October 7, 2014, not to discuss matters with Ms. Walters’ staff, commission members or other witnesses until completion of the investigation, and Ms. Walters left LRES office and went to her office and told her assistant everything that happened at the investigatory meeting.

6. Ms. Walters disclosed confidential information and records to unauthorized personnel: specifically spoke with assistant about confidential information related to an investigation when specifically told not to.

7. Ms. Walters intentionally falsified records or gave false information to other government agencies or private organizations or to employees responsible for record keeping: specifically, lied to human resources director when asked if she attended a meeting on July 18, 2014.

8. Ms. Walters inappropriately used an alternate work schedule and compensatory time: specifically, used a work schedule to build compensatory time that was not approved by Committee of Jurisdiction, and used such banked time to be paid for the day she did not attend meeting on July 18, 2014.