County board: Clouse’s conduct ‘would result in the termination of any regular county employee’
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Commissioner Clouse investigation and fallout
Thurston County’s commission removed Emily Clouse from her appointed advisory boards and commissions on Aug. 13, 2024, after receiving a sexual harassment complaint from her executive aide.
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Commissioner Emily Clouse violated the public’s trust and disappointed her seatmates, according to a Friday statement from the Board of County Commissioners.
The board shared the statement after 5 p.m. Friday along with a redacted copy of the final investigative report into her workplace relationship with her executive aide along with a Human Resources Department memorandum.
“The investigation uncovered breaches of trust and ethical violations by Commissioner Clouse,” the board wrote. “Commissioner Clouse’s actions were a direct violation of Thurston County HR Policies, her Oath of Office, and a violation of the public’s trust instilled in elected officials.”
This statement came after a month-long investigative process that was largely conducted in closed-door meetings away from the public. The report it accompanied largely absolved the county of legal liability for sexual harassment and retaliation claims while still focusing on ethical violations by Clouse.
Clouse fired her aide on July 29 about 30 minutes after he reported to the county’s Human Resources department that he was being harassed. That sparked an investigation and led to Clouse’s seatmates voting to suspend her from some of her duties on Aug. 13.
Despite the board’s displeasure, that suspension will soon come to an end. In their new statement, the board said they plan to reinstate Clouse to her 2024 boards, commissions, councils and committee assignments.
Allyn Hershey, Clouse’s executive aide, shared his side of the story with The Olympian on Friday. He criticized the report and denied a sexual assault allegation Clouse made against him. He added he intends to continue his lawsuit against the county.
“Deliberate deceptive behavior created confusion within the Board, Thurston County organization and public,” the board wrote of Clouse. “Although outside the disciplinary authority of the Board, the misuse of public resources and inappropriate personal gain raise great concern.”
The board said Clouse’s conduct would result in the termination of any other regular county employee, but the board does not have the legal authority to fire Clouse because she is an independently elected official.
As an elected official, Clouse should be held to an “even higher standard of accountability” than a regular employee, according to the statement.
“These actions have deeply compromised the County’s ability to operate with integrity and professionalism,” the board said. “The people of Thurston County deserve leaders who uphold honesty, fairness, and respect for the public good. Commissioner Clouse’s behavior has fallen short of these expectations.”
Following the investigation, the board is asking Clouse to “analyze her actions” and consider how she may rebuild trust with her seatmates, Thurston County as an organization and county citizens.
“The Board is deeply concerned and disappointed in the findings of the investigation and would urge Commissioner Clouse to evaluate how she can eliminate any concerning actions in the future,” the statement reads.
The board also asked Clouse to consider how to hold herself accountable and take “any and all appropriate actions.”
If she does continue with the job, Clouse will need a new executive aide. Before she begins any recruitment, the board has asked her to pledge herself to professional development and to use a hiring panel.
The board said its working with the county HR department to implement several reforms aimed at preventing similar incidents and restore public trust. However, their list of steps was light on details.
- The county will strengthen its internal policies to “enforce boundaries” regarding workplace relationships, conflicts of interest, and public resource use.
- Anonymous reporting systems for employees will be enhanced, so employees “feel empowered” to report ethical concerns without fear of retaliation.
- The county will implement and strengthen safeguards to prevent conflicts of interest when hiring employees.
- Elected officials will be required to undergo periodic ethics reviews. The county has pledged to publish periodic updates on the implementation of these measures to maintain transparency.
“Commissioner Clouse’s actions, as detailed in this statement, reflect a lapse in judgment and a failure to meet the ethical and professional standards expected of a public official,” the board said.
“These violations have compromised the County’s integrity, damaged its reputation, and diminished the public’s confidence in its leadership.”
Maia Robbins, Clouse’s attorney, said Clouse struck a different tone in her statement to The Olympian. She said Clouse looks forward to continuing to “serve the interests of Thurston County” as a county commissioner.
“Commissioner Clouse is delighted that the investigation has concluded, as it should have months ago,” Robbins said. “She looks forward to the public’s careful review of the investigatory report, which details the many inconsistencies of the complainant’s story and puts to bed their salacious allegations as unsubstantiated.”
This story was originally published December 6, 2024 at 6:07 PM.
