One of the major stories in Garnett this past year happened late in the year. When former Economic Development Director Julie Turnipseed retired, Julie Harrison was hired to take over. Turnipseed agreed to stick around and help with the transition. However, Harrison says Turnipseed treated her so poorly that she was subjected to “threatening, intimidating and humiliating” treatment from the outgoing director Turnipseed. She wrote a blistering three page resignation letter to City Manager, Travis Wilson alleging that Turnipseed refused to vacate the position from which she resigned and exhibited treatment of Harrison so reprehensible that Harrison became concerned for her own physical safety. She claims that from day one of her hiring in October, she was a target of verbal abuse, slander and malalignment of her person and business relationship with others in the community. Harrison says the former director still had access to her office, files and computer systems and says things are missing.
She is asking for 4 months severance pay and benefits from the city of Garnett as a settlement, which comes to about $20,000. The matter has not yet been settled
