SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – Sacramento County taxpayers are paying a county employee a six-figure salary to stay at home.

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He was fired from his job as the animal shelter director last year.

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Carl Simpson fought it and won, but instead of going back to work, the county’s giving him a paycheck to stay at home.

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The Civil Service Commission ruled that the county made a costly mistake firing its animal shelter director last year.

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“The residents of Sacramento County deserve better,” said Simpson. “This is reiterating the fact that this never should have happened.”

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Instead of welcoming him back, Simpson says the county told him they’d rather pay him a $115,000 a year to stay away.

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“It’s because of people’s egos and personal vendettas, or their opinion, that now the taxpayers are going to have to pay for this and that angers me as a public servant,” said Simpson.

Simpson took the job at the shelter in 2010, hired to bring down kill rates and work with rescue groups.

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“There was resentment right away,” said Simpson.

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He says not everyone was happy with the change, and soon he says he found himself at the center of some shocking allegations.

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“Hitting on people, sexually harassing people, I was accused of urinating in front of one of the employees,” said Simpson.

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Simpson claims he was also pushed out because of his race.

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The county fired him less than a year after taking the job.

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“I thought, how could this happen,” said Simpson.

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The firing fiasco is costing the county even more. Simpson gets a big check, a year and a half of back pay while the case went to court.

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However Simpson says he’d rather work for his money.

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“I feel that the only way that I can get my credibility, and my respect, and my reputation restored is to walk down the hallway and say ‘I’m back, let’s get busy,’ ” said Simpson.

 

When CBS13 asked the county how they could justify the decision with so many cuts to the county, a spokesperson said: “I wish I could share more with you, but since this is a personnel issue, and involves litigation, you can understand that we can’t discuss details.”

 

One of the reasons why he may not be back is that Simpson has a pending lawsuit against the county.

 

 

This article first appeared in: Sacramento Bee
Taxpayers Paying Former Sacramento County Employee To Stay Home - CBS Sacramento 
Written by: Maria Medina
Published on: 08/31/2012