NORWALK, Conn. – Norwalk’s personnel director, accused of aggressive behavior last week by city employees, once destroyed a police union sign, according to court documents. He resigned his position as Stamford’s director of labor relations shortly after that incident, in 2000.
The information about James Haselkamp comes from the statement of material facts in the case of Oswald Lewis vs. the city of Norwalk.
Lewis, Norwalk’s former director of management and budgets, sued Hamilton, Haselkamp and the city in 2011, alleging sexual harassment. The suit was dismissed in May by U.S. District Court Judge Stefan Underhill. The sworn statement of material facts is attached below.
Common Councilman David Watts (D-District A) named Haselkamp last week as the reason Norwalk firefighters did not endorse Moccia for re-election.
“For me, this is a person most city employees have problems with,” Watts said. “Maybe he’s negotiating on the best behalf of the city but it’s definitely a difficult relation between the city’s personnel director and city employees, no matter where they work in the city. That’s where most of my complaints come from. They don’t feel he is negotiating in fairness to them.”
The firefighters cited “unfair” treatment. Former Norwalk Police Chief Harry Rilling said they endorsed him because they were looking for “civility, respect and inclusiveness.”
Department of Public Works employees say Haselkamp became verbally abusive with them Wednesday, shoving a table at one of them and pointing a finger close to that man’s face. Haselkamp confirmed there was an incident.
DPW employee Council 4 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) lodged a formal complaint against Norwalk in June with the Connecticut State Board of Labor Relations, saying the DPW employee Scott Shular was being retaliated against for filing a grievance.
Lewis, in sex harassment his suit, also felt Haselkamp discharged his duties in an “unfair, retaliatory, and arbitrary manner,” according to the statement. Lewis “had heard comments about Haselkamp that he was ‘loud’ and ‘used lots of profanity,’” the statement says.
Haselkamp was Stamford’s director of human resources from 1995 to 2000, according to his resume. He was director of labor relations for Connecticut Construction Industries Association from 2000 to 2002, the resume says. He was director of human resources for Waterbury for four years and seven months, from January 2002 to July 2006, the resume says, and was previously director of labor relations for Bridgeport.
Haselkamp’s history is described in the plaintiff’s disputed issues of material fact, in paragraphs 62-66, beginning on page 21 of the document attached below:
“During a golfing event in the Summer of 2000, organized in honor of (then-Mayor Dannel) Malloy’s cousin, the late James Malloy, Haselkamp engaged in outlandish and inappropriate behavior; he ‘destroyed a police union sponsorship sign out of ‘stupidity’ by hitting it two or three times …”
“Haselkamp denies that (then-Mayor Dannel) Malloy forced him out of his position at Stamford after this incident. Haselkamp subsequently resigned from his position in or about December 2000, without another job lined up and having a wife and three children aged ten and younger at the time.”
“Haselkamp left his position at Stamford because the social aspect of his job and the amount of time he spent away from home was negatively affecting his marriage. Haselkamp and his wife eventually got divorced after 19 years of marriage in 2006, although he does not remember who filed for divorce or on what grounds.”
“Haselkamp eventually took a position at the City of Waterbury as Director of Personnel or the Director of Human Resources, throughout which he maintained regular contact with Hamilton through their membership in the Connecticut Public Sector Purchasing Coalition. Haselkamp left his position at Waterbury because the Mayor’s Chief of Staff told him that they were ‘contemplating non-renewing [his] contract.’”
The statement then goes on to describe how Haselkamp came to Norwalk. He had known Hamilton since 1996 or 1997 as they both worked in Stamford, according to the statement. Moccia had asked the former personnel director to leave, according to the statement. Personnel Administrator John Schlosser was involved in finding a new personnel director but did not know whether Haselkamp had “submitted his interest” in the position through a resume and did not recall reviewing his resume, the statement says.
On page 23, paragraphs 67 and 68 say:
“Before Haselkamp was hired, Hamilton gave the Mayor positive feedback about Haselkamp. Moccia interviewed other candidates for Haselkamp’s position who Hamilton did not know or recommend to Moccia. Haselkamp did not apply for any other position, and started the position within just 2 or 3 weeks of hearing that Waterbury may not renew his contract.”
“Moccia knew Haselkamp had worked at Stamford, but was unaware that Haselkamp destroyed a police union sign at the golfing event prior to his hire. Moccia later learned of the incident through an anonymous letter enclosing a newspaper article about the incident that stated police officers took ‘this as a personal slight’ and ‘are not always happy about what happens in contract negotiations’ and that this ‘makes it hard to negotiate.’” The Vice-President of the union is quoted as saying, ‘For the city’s head negotiator to do something like this at a city function as we are going into a contract year makes us wonder if they are going to deal with us in good faith.’ Moccia spoke to Haselkamp after receiving the letter with the article and Haselkamp ‘basically [said] it was true and said the article spoke for itself.’”
Moccia has always rated Haselkamp’s performance positively, the statement says. Moccia had never disciplined any employee for poor performance during his role as mayor, the statement says.
Moccia did not return a request for comment.
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