Jarrell official files complaint of harassment, discrimination against city

The city manager of Jarrell said she has faced repeated instances of sexual harassment and discrimination by some male City Council members, according to a complaint she filed against the city last month with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

The Jarrell City Council met Tuesday night about Danielle Singh's claim but took no action, according to a statement from the Kaplan Law firm that is representing her. An executive session was listed on the agenda to consider the employment, evaluation or dismissal of Singh.

"Jarrell City Council took no action to fire or discipline City Manager Singh last night, but her harassment claims remain unresolved," the law firm said Wednesday. "We will continue advocating for her right, and everyone's right, to work in a respectful environment free of harassment and discrimination."

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The mayor and City Council members did not respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.

Singh said in her claim, filed on April 12, that she began working as Jarrell's city manager in June. "Despite my numerous successes in my short tenure, multiple male Councilmembers have and still treat me as though I am lesser because I am a woman," the complaint said. "It seems that women in local government in Jarrell have to work twice as hard to get half as much credit as our male counterparts."

She made more than 20 accusations in her complaint, with most of them being against Council Member Jeff Seidel. Some of the complaints were against Council Member Daniel Islas and one was against Council Member Adam Marsh.

According to the complaint, Seidel told her on July 6 that she needed to be a "sweet girl" unlike other women who had worked there before and would curse. "He said that cussing was for men and that, as a woman, I should not do that type of thing," the complaint said.

It said Seidel asked her again on July 11 to be a "sweet girl" and "told me that I could not 'hang' with the men." In a City Council meeting on Aug. 3, regarding her employment, Islas said she was not his choice as a city manager because she had a family, the complaint said. "He did not express the same concern for male employees with families," according to the document.

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In a swearing-in ceremony on Nov. 20, Seidel rubbed his hands up and down Singh's back while she was trying to discuss the meeting order with the mayor, the document said. "Municipal Clerk Dianne Peace and the Chief of Police Patrick South both commented on the inappropriateness of his touching," the complaint said.

It also said that during an online recorded meeting with a software company that involved Singh, Seidel and another council member on Nov. 29, Seidel said “Now this is the fun part. … The city is technologically a virgin. You can do anything you want to it.”

After a Planning and Zoning Commission meeting on Jan. 23, Seidel addressed Jordan Cantu, the director of planning and development, and Singh as “girls,” the complaint said. It said Seidel also asked if the city was "ever going to hire men or just more women."

Singh also said in the complaint that she told Seidel after a City Council meeting in February that calling her and Cantu “girls” and making remarks about their gender was illegal and he needed to stop. "Mayor Patrick Sherek walked up during this conversation and witnessed this conversation from the hallway," the document said.

Singh reported the sexual harassment and discrimination from Seidel to the City Council on March 5, during an executive session, the complaint said. "His response was that he was not a 'DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) guy' and that he thought it was OK to say these things," according to the document.

"During this meeting Councilmember Islas attempted to reduce my reports of harassment down to Councilmember Seidel and I merely not getting along," her complaint said. "I made it clear that I did not appreciate that he was insinuating that Councilmember Seidel’s behavior towards me was any fault of my own."

On March 24, Seidel sent Singh an email that "insinuated" she was having an affair with the mayor," said the complaint. "This is demonstrably false and harmful to our families," it said.

On March 29, Council Member Marsh "notified us that he is going to make numerous allegations to the Texas Rangers about myself and others," the complaint said. "He called our behavior of reporting this harassment 'childlike.'"

Singh said in the complaint that she was filing it "in hopes that the EEOC will investigate and help finally put an end to sexual harassment and gender discrimination at City Hall in Jarrell."

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Jarrell official files complaint of harassment against council members