County workers lampoon bosses on Internet site

Adrienne Packer

Tuesday, June 5, 2001 | 10:43 a.m.

An employee-launched website that includes attacks on Clark County department heads and encourages fellow workers to voice complaints about management is inappropriate and should be redesigned, administrators said Monday.

Clark County employees were informed via an anonymous e-mail last week of the Internet site, which offers discussion rooms for eight county departments.

The unknown designer specifically targets Aviation Director Randy Walker, manipulating his photograph by adding devil's horns and a mustache. Accompanying the picture is the question: What can I possibly do to make your life more difficult?

A photograph of Clark County Fire Chief Earl Greene flashes intermittently with a pig eating from a trough.

Clark County Manager Dale Askew said his office has contacted the Internet service provider to relay concerns about the personal attacks. The designer uses the logo of the county's official website.

"They're portraying unflattering pictures of department heads," said Askew, who is also pictured on the website. "We asked them to find out who is sending them and make them aware this is inappropriate."

Askew and county spokesman Doug Bradford believe that whomever launched the web page and wrote the e-mail is a Service Employees International Union member.

The website's homepage says, "Management does not want us to unite. United we are powerful. This scares the crap out of them." It says the purpose of the site is to provide an outlet of opinions and a "means of escape or release from management's workday imprisonment."

Askew said he is surprised employees feel the need to air concerns anonymously on a website.

"We have a good relationship with the union, and we have an open line of communication with them," Askew said. "We do view them as a powerful organization, which causes us to pay attention to them, but it does not scare us."

Most comments posted on the site so far are favorable and refer to an upcoming change in the county's merit raise policy.

Another is apparently from an employee who loves working for the county. Another wrote anonymously: "A job with the county is great. What else has the security? However, you cannot tell me that you do not hear of inequality, favoritism or bias. That I will not believe."

Askew said that whomever started the website did not break any specific county policies, although he is concerned about the county's patented web design being used. He said employees have a right to communicate.

"They have a right to complain and to communicate to us and to their colleagues, or brethren as they refer to them," Askew said. "I don't have a problem with that."