Supervisors approve Dolley firing

OTTUMWA: So, there’s been quite a stir in Wapello County over the firing of Rachel Dolley, the Veterans Services Officer. People were really passionate about her at the meeting, sharing how much she helped them. But despite the support, the county supervisors decided to go ahead with her dismissal.

The supervisors said she was let go for “incompetency and misconduct.” They mentioned that her office was a mess, with important files just tossed under her desk instead of being organized properly. That’s a big no-no, especially when it comes to protecting veterans’ information.

During the meeting, things got a bit heated. The commission chair, Rick Hindsley, said they had to keep the crowd in check because it got loud. Some veterans even offered to help Dolley, but she turned them down. It sounds like there was a lot of tension in the air.

One veteran, John Fenner, spoke up, saying Dolley was in a tough work environment. He felt she was being pushed out and not getting the support she needed. He shared his own experiences of working in a hostile setting, which made it clear he sympathized with her situation.

Hindsley did acknowledge that Dolley had helped some veterans, but he pointed out that there were many cases she didn’t handle well. He mentioned a specific instance where a veteran’s issue wasn’t resolved until someone else stepped in and fixed it quickly.

Supervisor Bryan Ziegler said they tried to work things out with Dolley, but it just didn’t seem to improve. Meanwhile, Dolley’s husband argued that she was overwhelmed with too many cases and didn’t have enough help. He pointed out that she was seeing a lot more veterans than other counties with more staff.

Crosby, another veteran, praised Dolley for her professionalism and suggested that instead of firing her, they should provide her with more support. He emphasized that she genuinely cares about helping veterans.

In the end, the supervisors’ decision was more about budget control than direct oversight of Dolley’s role. They don’t have the power to hire or fire directly, which adds another layer to this complicated situation. It’s clear that there’s a lot more to this story than just a simple firing.