Citing bullying by commissioner, county department head resigns

By Charlene Sims, info@linncountyjournal.com

MOUND CITY – Following several weeks marked by friction between Linn County Commissioner Alison Hamilton and Linn County Economic Development Director Chasity Ware, Ware gave her resignation on Monday, Aug. 18, at the county commission meeting. The notice of resignation came after Ware read a prepared statement during the public comment period.

The following was transcribed from her presentation. It can be found on YouTube.com under Linn County Live Stream, 8.18.25 Part 2 at approximately 18:50 on the clock. The presentation to the commissioners follows:

“I’ve lived in Linn County for just shy of 35 years. My sisters, mother followed shortly afterwards and I previously worked in our local district for more than 20 of those years. I’ve raised my children here, contributed to the community in countless ways, and believed that joining county government would be another way to be a meaningful difference.

“From my first day on the job, Nov. 12, 2024, I made it clear I would not be monkey to your circus. Unfortunately nine months in, that’s exactly what this has become. I entered this role with no formal training or clear direction, but gave it everything I had. Long hours, complex problem-solving and building connections to serve Linn County with integrity.

“What I encountered in the long term was not that, but dysfunction. The most damaging issue has been the inconsistent or the consistent absence of professionalism, clear expectations, and basic respect from elected leadership.

“Leadership is not about control, intimidation or micromanagement, It’s about trust, humility and accountability. Those values have been absent here.

“Ali, I’ve raised concerns with you directly only to be met with denial, misrepresentation and dismissive behavior. You’ve assigned tasks outside of my role, treated me more like a personal assistant than a department head and even resorted to slamming your hand on my desk with the words ‘If you don’t do it (Ware slams her hand on the podium in demonstration), then who will?’

“That’s not leadership. Ali. That’s bullying.”

Hamilton interrupted saying she did not do that.

Ware said, “You did.”

Hamilton said, “No,I didn’t.”

Ware continued, “A few weeks ago, I invited Miss Hamilton into my office to discuss expectations regarding the historical societies that she inquired about in an email.”

(During this time Hamilton is talking with Commission Chair Jim Johnson. They both look at County Counselor Jacklyn Paletta, who appears to wave them off.)

“I have made multiple efforts to clarify my responsibilities,” Ware continued, “not just in this role, but as my capacity as the department for the parks and marina. Time and again, I was told, ‘We don’t have any expectations. You get to build that.”

“What initially felt like empowerment has revealed itself to be a convenient deflection. And without defined expectations, I was set up to fail. Instead of discussing those expectations, Miss Hamilton diverted to unrelated matters, raised her voice and made unprofessional comments, including, ‘You can be rude and still be liked. I’m rude and I’m hated.’

“She spoke despairingly about colleagues within an earshot of others, made unfounded claims and caused two individuals to not be able to come into the annex building and conduct business and berated me for over an hour.

“Another employee eventually entered visibly upset, stating she was tired of hearing it. Rather than acknowledge the harm, Miss Hamilton responded by raising her arm ( at this point Ware raised her arm demonstrating the behavior) saying, ‘I’m not sure how I am going to fix that,’ referring to the staff’s reactions.

“These incidents were not isolated. The reflect a pattern of disrespect, dysfunction and failure to uphold even when the most basic standards of workplace conduct.

“The final straw came with the recent disciplinary action against me. It was baseless, unsupported by county policy, and made it clear that no matter my effort, I would never succeed under constantly shifting expectations or lack of those expectations.

“I recently filed a grievance, which I believe was mishandled behind closed doors rather than addressed transparently as required. And if true, that’s not only inappropriate, but a breach of trust with employees who depend on fair processes. Additionally, the grievance format itself should be redesigned. No employee who files a grievance should be required to provide the solution to a problem they did not cause.

“Jim, I just want to say thank you for thinking of me for this role. We didn’t always see eye to eye, but you remained professional. I appreciate the trust that you had in me.

“And even though Jason isn’t here, I want to say to him, I’m not certain where we stand but that’s okay. I appreciated his honesty and his guidance that he displayed to me at the beginning.

“Ali, my advice is to step back from micromanaging, set aside intimidation and lean into leading with humility. Please remember being a commissioner is about a service, not a status. A title doesn’t make anyone more important than the next person. I have just a small little poem here from the Wall Street Journal, dated 1984. And it says this,

“‘People don’t want to be managed, they want to be led.’

“Whoever heard of a world manager? World leader, yes, educational leader, political leader, religious leader, scout leader, community leader, labor leader, business leader, they lead. They don’t manage. The carrot always wins over the stick. Ask your horse. You can lead your horse to water, but you can’t manage him to drink.

“If you want to manage somebody, manage yourself. Do that well and you’ll be ready to stop managing and start leading.

“Last thing I have to say is to those who did support me, thank you. I leave proud of what I have accomplished under difficult circumstances and I hope this letter prompts reflection and ultimately change.

“And with that said this letter serves as my formal notice as a letter of resignation as your economic development director of Linn County effective immediately.”

After Ware finished reading her statement, Hamilton turned to County Clerk Danielle Souza and said, “You’re following her out right? I would just go ahead and do it because she can’t be in there alone.”

Souza left the room and didn’t return until late in a discussion between commissioners and Linn County News publisher Jackie Taylor on a serious missteps in publishing public notices generated by the county clerk’s office.