KINGSTON- Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger has penned an open letter to county residents in response to a resignation letter made public by three members of the Ulster County Human Rights Commission that alleged Acting Commissioner Esi Lewis mislead commission members, canceled meetings, and mishandled complaints.
Commission members Carl Brown, Martin Dunkley, and Bruce Ginsberg, in a shared resignation letter, said they wished to, “express our sincere disappointment with the Metzger administration’s handling of our commission.” The letter continued, “It will come as a surprise to many readers that our county has a human-rights commission, because this administration is keeping it a hidden secret and refuses to publicize or promote our work.”
The commission members alleged that Lewis is unable to serve as Human Rights Commissioner due to a lack of independence. They charge that “Ms. Lewis cannot be trusted to handle cases involving the county since her allegiance is to the exec and not to the employees being harassed.”
The commission members claim that there have been cases of county employees making claims of racial discrimination in the workplace that have been mishandled. They say rather than having their reports investigated and handled by county protocol, employees who have come forward are being victimized.
Metzger, in an open letter to county residents, refuted these claims. “As County Executive, I am appalled and deeply disappointed by the disingenuous and false claims made by three Human Rights Commission members in their resignation letter. Their letter is fundamentally dishonest and contains a number of falsehoods that are easily disproved,” wrote Metzger.
Metzger believes the motivation for the commission members’ letter is retribution. Former Commissioner Tyrone Wilson was terminated and Metzger believes the three former commission members are, “more invested in exacting retribution for former Commissioner Wilson’s dismissal than faithfully fulfilling their duties as members of the Human Rights Commission.”
The former commission members also accuse Metzger of padding the commission with appointees who would be loyal to the executive rather than the commission’s mission. Metzger refuted these claims as well, writing, “I have made zero appointments to this Commission. All existing Commission members were appointed by the prior Administration or by the Legislature.”
Metzger and the former commission members also sparred over Lewis’ qualifications. The former commission members claim that Lewis, “has no qualifications or appetite for human-rights work.” Metzger called this claim “outrageous” and pointed to Lewis’ experience as an attorney and on the New Paltz Police Reform and Reinvention Commission.
The former commission members called on Metzger, “to remove Esi Lewis from a position she is ill-equipped to hold, and to cease the politicization of the commission, which should be allowed to do its work unburdened by politics and outside control.” Metzger responded, writing, “Commission members should endeavor to serve as models for how to handle sensitive matters with integrity, professionalism, and respect. The work of this Commission is too important to politicize or derail with personal conflict.”
A copy of the commission members resignation letter can be found HERE.
A copy of the open letter to county residents from County Executive Jen Metzger can be found HERE.
