Former head of Washington public works removed

WASHINGTON — Early in the week of June 23, Washington City Administrator Joe Gaa called then-Maintenance and Construction Supervisor JJ Bell into a meeting.

Joined by Police Chief Jim Lester, the three city officials spoke briefly before Bell was told to resign or be fired. Bell — a municipal employee of 29 years and two months, and a department head since 2010 — said he was blindsided by the ultimatum.

“At first, I thought it was a joke,” he said. “I told Joe, ‘You’re serious?’ I was kind of lost for words, realizing that he was serious … it was bizarre.”

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The head of Washington’s department tasked with filling potholes, repairing water mains, plowing snow and sweeping streets said he handed in his city-funded phone, signed a short, pre-written resignation letter, and went home.

On June 27, Bell said he was visited at home by a city police officer, who told him not to contact municipal staff or set foot on city property without permission.

The Maintenance and Construction Department is now overseen by Assistant Superintendent Marshall Beal, according to Gaa.

Former employee claims he was removed over minor infractions

City officials have provided few details about the circumstances surrounding Bell’s removal from the staff roster.

In response to repeated public records requests, City Attorney Kevin Olson provided a written statement last week saying Bell resigned in lieu of termination, “because of the unauthorized use of city equipment in violation of city policy and the general failure to improve the performance and general work environment for employees in the M/C department.”

Bell’s story is more specific.

He claims the move was spurred by two infractions.

The first involved a golf outing to Cedar Rapids by Bell and a handful of other maintenance department employees. Bell said those involved had all taken the time off for the partial-day getaway. Staff weren’t on duty, though Bell said he took a few work calls on the green before the group returned to town around noon.

But Bell said he was told at his resignation meeting the trip violated a city policy barring multiple public works employees from taking vacations at the same time.

While that rule isn’t explicit in the city’s personnel manual, a recently renewed agreement between the city and its maintenance & construction workers’ union says “the decision of allowing the vacation period will be determined by seniority” when two or more employees request overlapping time off, implying a limit on how many can take vacation at once.

The second infraction, according to Bell, involved a load of sand brought to the annual Coppock Horseshoe tournament, held in Washington’s much smaller neighboring town to the south. Bell said the trip was made by city employees on the clock, using city-owned sand and a municipal vehicle, but said his department had done the same for the last several years with no issues, and claimed he’d informed Gaa about the plan ahead of time.

Bell said both of the above came up during the meeting that ended in his resignation.

“To me, I didn’t think I was breaking the rules,” Bell said. “It’s been done before.”

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Prior to his removal from the payroll, city records say Bell was making $97,641 a year as head of the maintenance and construction department. Prior to that job, he was a city operator from 1996-2010.

Municipal officials have largely declined to comment on the departure.

Two city council members said they’d been instructed to “not discuss personnel matters” in the wake of Bell’s removal. In a brief conversation after a meeting last week, Council Member Pat Morgan acknowledged it was a sensitive subject.

“It’s been a challenging week,” he said. “There’s a lot of concerns from citizens, and a lot of citizens calling in, speaking up, showing concern or speaking their thoughts about the situation. It’s tough for us, as a council, because I don’t know that there’s anyone here that doesn’t like JJ as a person. But it’s obviously personnel issues that can’t be discussed, so that makes it difficult.”

The Southeast Iowa Union has filed a complaint against the city with the Iowa Public Information Board, in pursuit of more information about the circumstances surrounding Bell’s removal. The governor-appointed group mediates disputes over violations of state public meeting and public record laws, and has previously found government bodies are obligated to share certain details about removed employees.

“Government bodies must say which law, rule, or policy, if any, they believe the employee violated,” the board said in a pivotal 2018 advisory opinion on the issue. “The explanation should include details, such as the date(s) of alleged behavior, location, and how it was discovered.”

The city has claimed the opposite: that employees cannot disclose or discuss the requested information under any circumstances.

“That’s the fun part about personnel, they can say whatever they want. We can’t say anything,” Gaa said.

Police involved, but no crimes reported

Bell’s departure represents the first high-profile leadership shift since Joe Gaa signed on as Washington’s city administrator in August of ‘24.

Washington’s personnel manual says municipal staff are all employed at-will, meaning they can be fired “at any time with or without cause.” Both that manual and the M/C department’s union agreement leave final decisions about employee terminations and demotions, and their appeals, up to the city administrator.

Bell’s ultimatum was presented while another city employee, Kelsey Brown, was out of town on vacation. As Washington’s finance director, Brown also serves as the local government’s de facto human resources contact according to other staff members.

Gaa said he asked for Police Chief Jim Lester to join the meeting in her absence.

“Personnel actions such as hirings and termination are the responsibility of the City Administrator,” he said in an email. “As a general rule, HR discussions are best held with an additional person in the room. As Kelsey was on vacation, I asked Chief Lester to sit in. He understands the level of confidentiality of HR matters and has knowledge in local and state policies and laws.”

Chief Lester confirmed that an officer was sent — at Gaa’s request — to Bell’s house a few days after his resignation, to advise Bell against contacting city employees while they were working. According to Lester, Bell was also told to call city hall if he needed anything from city property, and informed that personnel matters wouldn’t be discussed in a public meeting, and shouldn’t be discussed by city council members in general.

The visit did not appear in Washington County’s daily Call For Service log, and The Union was unable to find any criminal or civil court dockets mentioning Bell’s name in Iowa filed in the last two months.

Asked about the decision to send an officer to Bell’s house, the city administrator said it was a reasonable precaution.

“Depending on the situation, advising former employees not to visit city facilities or officials is done as a safety concern,” Gaa wrote in an email. “I don’t know that I would say it is a standard procedure, but not uncommon. Often times such action is taken … because of something else that has occurred such as visits to employees or City officials that have alarmed them and action is taken for their safety and peace of mind.”

Bell wants job back, but can’t reach city to complain

The former Maintenance and Construction department head said he was frustrated by his inability to touch base with municipal personnel.

As of last week, Bell said he remained unsure whether he still had health insurance coverage from his former job, or if he’d be compensated for his unused vacation time. But he’s hesitated to contact city hall to ask about it, after the officer visited his home and cautioned him against speaking with municipal employees.

Bell said he hadn’t reached out to elected officials to complain about his removal for the same reason. Further complicating matters is the fact that his now-returned work phone contained most of his contacts.

Members of Bell’s family say they’re also frustrated about his unexpected removal from the local government. While his wife sat in the audience at last week’s council meeting, she did not speak during the designated public comment period. Asked about that decision, she cited a policy implemented in 2024 that forbids public comments from anyone living outside Washington’s city limits. Bell’s address is about half a mile beyond the edge of town.

JJ Bell said a handful of friends in town had reached out to their respective council members, though none have yet spoken out about the matter in a public meeting.

In the meantime, Bell said he’d applied for a few other jobs, but “would like to” hire a lawyer following the call for his resignation in Washington.

“If we can get somebody to take the case, we’ll see where it goes,” he said, but declined to offer further details about what accusations he hoped to bring to court. “Ultimately, I’d like to take my job back. I love my job and I’d take it back in a heartbeat.”

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com