BREAKING NEWS: Officer Who Filed Hostile Work Environment Complaint Fired

Lt. Mike Kenny’s Attorney to File Appeal on Jan. 15

By Charles D. Young and Jean Weaver

Mike Kenny, the lieutenant on Southlake Police Chief Wade Goolsby’s command staff who filed a hostile work environment complaint against the chief, was terminated by the city of Southlake on Jan. 9. Assistant City Manager/Department of Public Safety Director Jim Blagg made the announcement to the department on Jan. 11, police sources said.

Kenny filed the complaint against the city on Oct. 5, 2007, and was placed on administrative leave the same day by Southlake City Human Resources Director Kevin Hugman.

Because the matter involved charges by a member of Goolsby’s command staff against Goolsby, another police department -- the Mansfield PD -- conducted the investigation.

Sources in the Southlake Police Department who asked not to be named for fear of retaliation said that Kenny said he became of aware of Goolsby’s use of police computer equipment and software “for personal reasons not related to city business,” and brought that information to Blagg’s attention.

The sources state further that the investigation by MPD did not implicate Kenny, but that Southlake fired him anyway.

Because of a pending appeal, Kenny’s attorney, Lance Wyatt, would not discuss the ruling by Southlake officials specifically.

“The investigation,” Wyatt said, “was about what Kenny knew.”

When contacted by the Journal, Blagg issued a statement through city spokesperson Pilar Schank.

“It is the City of Southlake’s policy not to comment on personnel matters,” said Blagg in the statement. “However, I will say I am disappointed that recent events within the City’s DPS department have reached this point. My focus as well as the focus of Police Chief Wade Goolsby and his officers continues to be upholding the highest standards of safety and security for the Citizens of Southlake,” Blagg stated.

Police sources imply the action was retaliatory.

“When the Mansfield investigation was complete, and the outcome of the investigation was not what the city wanted to hear, the city fabricated [the] reasons to fire Mike Kenny,” one stated.

“Both Mike [Kenny] and I are very disappointed in the actions of the city and the department,” Wyatt stated. "We believe City Manager [Shana] Yelverton will correct the actions of DPS Director/ACM Blagg.

“We believe that there are underlying motives involved in the termination and we have an idea about it, but I'm not going to speculate at this time,” Wyatt added. “They’ve acted in an improper fashion. We will present the information to the city manager and we trust the she will do the right thing.”

Wyatt said Monday evening that he expects to file an appeal to the city manager on Tuesday, Jan. 15.

Nick Sakelaris contributed to this story. For more on this story, see the Southlake Journal print edition this Friday, Jan. 18.