Win or lose, office morale is a priority for the coming months

By Tom Slockett

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I feel obliged to respond to your article of March 30 (“Fellow Democrats ask Johnson County auditor to stop re-election bid”) so that your readers, many of whom are Johnson County taxpayers and voters, may have access to the complete story.

As you reported, I made a serious error in early March when I circulated the nomination petitions for my re-election campaign to the staff in the Johnson County Auditor's Office. Though I had done the same thing several times in the past without receiving complaints, and though the practice occurs regularly in many other auditors' office throughout the state, I should have known better than to put my staff on the spot in that way. As I should have anticipated, several staff members felt pressured in a way I would never have wanted.

What your article mentions in passing, but doesn't really cover, is that I sent all staff members in the office a heartfelt apology on March 7. It reads in part as follows:

“If [circulating the petition] made even one employee uncomfortable, that is one too many. I realize that I had not given enough thought to this ... . I thank those who brought this mistake to my attention. I appreciate mistakes being brought to my attention so that they can be corrected and/or not repeated. In this case, the mistake cannot be corrected. But it was a mistake that I regret making. I learned from the experience and will not make the mistake again. I now understand that it was a mistake, and sincerely apologize. I ask for your forgiveness.”

I realize, too, that one mistake cannot account for the sort of tensions in an office that this incident has revealed, nor can one apology resolve them. Despite sincere efforts to be a good manager and supervisor, I have made mistakes and the morale in my office has become unacceptably low. In recent days and weeks, I have begun taking steps to resolve problems in the office. It may take some time and the help of knowledgeable people of good will from both inside and outside the office, but I am determined to make the auditor's office a comfortable place to work once again. My first concern is for my employees, and that is no more than each and every one of them deserves.

As most of you are aware, I am seeking my party's renomination in the June primary and, if I am successful, re-election in November. I intend to fight hard in those campaigns; I believe my record of service warrants re-election.

But, win or lose, this task of restoring office morale is one I will neither delay nor shortchange. At the very least, my staff and I have several more months of working together to serve the people of Johnson County and I want to share with my staff the benefits of a good work environment.

Finally, I'd like to thank my staff for the professionalism they have shown during this time in which our actions have been scrutinized, by continuing to provide the high quality of services for which the Johnson County auditor's office is known. I'm proud to have hired them, and proud to work alongside them.

Tom Slockett is Johnson County auditor. Comments: tomslockett@gmail.com