Five Clay County employees to resign by end of this year

The county announced settlements and separation agreements made with five of its employees this week after each filed an employment-related claim against Clay County. All resignations will be effective before or by Dec. 31, 2020.

Five Clay County employees, including three assistant county administrators, will resign by the end of the year, according to separation agreements announced Tuesday.

Brad Garrett, Laurie Portwood and Nicole Brown — all county administrators — will resign effective Dec. 31, 2020, along with Tourism and Project Development Manager Melissa Mohler.

Public Relations and Events Manager Nikki Thorn will resign on or before Dec. 4, 2020, according to her official Separation, Settlement and Mutual Release Agreement with Clay County.

The county sent the email about the settlements just after 5 p.m. on Election Day, though Brown, Garrett and Portwood had signed their agreements on Oct. 5.

All five employees had filed employment-related claims against the county. The agreements were signed by the employees and Clay County commissioners Gene Owen and Luann Ridgeway.

Garrett and Brown claimed pervasive harassment and retaliation by Commissioner Jerry Nolte, who tried to get a public hearing on rental arrangements the pair had in government-owned housing four years ago and again earlier this year.

Portwood also singled out Nolte, according to the agreement released by the county. Nolte said Tuesday night he’s received no formal notification about the alleged complaints.