Politics & Government

Mount Pleasant Village Clerk Resigns

Citing harassment and a fear of retaliation, Veronica Rudychev tendered her resignation Monday. She is the third high-ranking village official to resign over the last several months.

**Updated 12:45 p.m.

Mount Pleasant Village Clerk Veronica Rudychev announced her resignation Monday, citing harassment and fear of retaliation as part of her reason for leaving.

Her last day was to have been Friday, but after meeting with Interim Administrator Tim Zarzecki, Rudychev says she was told that she would be paid for the rest of the week but was not required to report to work.

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Zarzecki would not comment on the specifics of Rudychev's resignation, citing confidential personnel matters, but he did say he will be working with the board on how the village will fill the vacancy.

"I wish Veronica all the best, but I can't really comment further because this is a personnel matter," he said. "I will be working with the board on how to fill the clerk's position."

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Zarzecki will also work with staff on how to best cover Rudychev's clerk/treasurer duties.

"I'm sure our deputy clerk will take a lot of the work, but I'll work with the rest of the staff, too, to make sure those duties are covered," he added. 

In her resignation letter to Zarzecki, Rudychev says she has been “continuously harassed by certain Board members” as well as members of the staff. She did not say if she has accepted another position elsewhere.

When Patch spoke with Rudychev, she said she enjoyed working in Mount Pleasant and getting to know the village and its residents. But, she said, the environment is too toxic and is not conducive to getting the business of the village done.

“It’s hard to get even the basics of your job duties complete because I felt I was always looking over my shoulder,” she said. “It got to the point where I was afraid to answer my phone when certain trustees would call and I would just let those calls go to voicemail.”

Rudychev’s letter also cites her fear of continued harassment and retaliation as reasons for her resignation.

“I included these reasons so leaders would know there are specifics for why I’m leaving,” she said. “I want them to know how deep-rooted the situation really is and how much work they have ahead of them to fix it.”

While the problems are widespread, she said, they are not universal, with certain staff members in leadership positions and some trustees understanding and promoting transparency. They tried, she said, with the measures that were available to them, to make the situation better, and she thanks them for that.

Trustee Karen Albeck sees Rudychev's resignation is a serious blow to Mount Pleasant, and she's sad to see her leave. She said she knows how difficult working conditions have been in Mount Pleasant; Albeck said she had previously informed village administration about one trustee's harassing behavior.

"Veronica's departure is a significant loss for the village," Albeck told Patch. "She has done an exceptional job as clerk/treasurer and I'm sad to see her leave."

Rudychev also cites the recent vote of trustees to officially close the matter of ethics allegations against Trustee Sonny Havn as part of the reason she’s resigning.

“The Village’s lack of due diligence in investigating potential ethics violations of one of its Board members has also weighed heavily on this decision,” she wrote.

Trustee Jerry Garski said he hopes Rudychev's resignation opens the village's eyes to what he says is "what's really going on."

"I'm sad that Veronica is leaving because she's a great village clerk," he said. "I hope her resignation opens the village's eyes to what's really going on. I wish her nothing but the best in her future endeavors."

Rudychev is the third high-ranking village official to resign in the last few months. Former President Carolyn Milkie and former Interim Administrator Mark Morien resigned, in part, because they felt board members didn’t understand – and didn’t want to learn – how to separate policy from administration for the long-term success of the village.

In her letter to Zarzecki, Rudychev thanks the board and Zarzecki for the opportunity for professional development, and she wishes the village well.

“I really enjoyed my job here,” she said. “But I can’t continue to work in Mount Pleasant as long as certain situations are never addressed.”

We've got calls out to trustees and plan to speak to Zarzecki as well about Rudychev's resignation. Patch will update this story.


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