Bonnie Bleskachek

Bonnie Bleskachek was the fire chief of Minneapolis, Minnesota from 2005 to 2006. She was the first lesbian fire chief in a large metro city in the United States.

Career History

After four lawsuits against Bleskacheck alleging discrimination and sexual harassment, she stepped down as Minneapolis Fire Chief in November, 2006. Bleskachek's demotion was due in part to the lawsuits and the loss of support from Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak. The lawsuits alleged that Bleskachek was promoting women who would sleep with her and denying promotions to women who refused to sleep with her. Bleskachek had a long history of dating women within the fire department and ending those relationships badly. She had a seven year relationship with one firefighter, the first to file a lawsuit. That firefighter alleged that Bleskachek was physically abusive to her on multiple occasions during their relationship. The firefighter also alleges that Bleskacheck thwarted her career after the relationship was over by denying her training opportunities and eliminating battalion chief positions after the ex-partner passed the promotional screening tests. Bleskachek's complicated personal life includes two children from two separate relationships that have both ended. By 2006, Bleskachek was dating yet another firefighter, who was mentioned as a co-defendant in a later civil rights lawsuit.

The City's own internal investigation [http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/council/2006-meetings/20061222/docs/Bleskachek_SummaryConclusion.pdf] found that Bleskachek had a relationship with a married female firefighter and ended up in a physical altercation with that firefighter's husband in front of a fire station. Bleskechek and the husband took out mutual harassment restraining orders against each other. Additional findings from the City investigation found that Bleskachek was seen "making out" with her current partner in the basement of a fire station, that she slept at her partner's fire station on the nights she worked and allowed her partner to abuse sick leave time, that she participated in naked hot tubbing with subordinates, that she used the 911 emergency dispatch system for personal use, that she was inappropriately dancing with an unwilling and younger firefighter at a club, that she inappropriately touched the leg of a subordinate, and that she and her current partner participated in sexually harassing a subordinate.

A separate civil rights investigation found probable cause that when she was Fire Chief Bleskachek retaliated against a male firefighter and denied him advancement opportunities. The 23-page ruling, signed by interim civil rights director Michael Browne, stems from a 2003 complaint filed by Elondo Wright, who claimed he was retaliated against after he displaced a female firefighter who was friendly with Bleskachek's lesbian partner. It also found evidence the department gave preferential treatment to women, especially lesbians. More accurately, however, Bleskacheck refused to promote anyone who was not her friend--as all three of the federal lawsuits were filed by lesbians.

Mayoral Response

In his statement on her removal, Mayor Rybek wrote, "Today I am urging the city council to act on a legal agreement with Ms. Bleskachek. She will no longer be Fire Chief and she will not contest this removal. She will not receive a severance payout. She will be completely and permanently stripped of ever holding leadership or management status in this city. She will assume an administrative position in the city without any supervisory function or chance of promotion. She has been severely and significantly demoted and her pay has been cut by more than 40 thousand dollars. Ms. Bleskachek has apologized in writing to the city, the department and the citizens of Minneapolis and has accepted theses drastic consequences with remorse. By removing Bleskachek today we are establishing complete control over her future employment with this city and guaranteeing that she will never supervise anyone. If we let this drag on into an uncertain future, we will run the risk of having her return to a senior management position in the department. I will not take that risk."

References

External links

* Mayor's Statement on Removing Bleskacheck http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/mayor/news/20061222news.asp
* Washington Post Article
* http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/04/AR2006120401257.html
* New York Times Article
* http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F50E11FB3A550C708EDDAB0994DE404482
* City Pages: Hunk of Burning Love Cover Story
* http://citypages.com/databank/27/1330/article14400.asp
* WCCO Civil Rights Violation Article
* http://wcco.com/local/local_story_234120846.html