Tampa city employee fired after writing angry e-mail

July 11, 2001

TAMPA — A city employee was fired after swearing at a local businessman in an e-mail.

Tracy Davis, legislative aide to city Councilwoman Gwen Miller, was dismissed for sending the e-mail last month to a Clearwater businessman.

Davis, who was fired this week, said Tuesday she would not challenge the decision. She said her employers were justified in the action.

The e-mail correspondence began when businessman Allen Miller asked the council for help with a police matter. Davis responded with an e-mail telling him to contact the police chief. He wrote her back, telling her she was no help.

"Please read your email! I did just as it instructs me to do and it didn’t help, so again no thanks for the no help," Allen Miller wrote.

"You do not even live in Tampa, so don’t bother me again," Davis responded. "Go to Hell, because you have a very nasty attitude."

Davis threatened to file harassment charges. "With an attitude like yours, you deserved to be assaulted and robbed!" she wrote.

Allen Miller forwarded the correspondence to other council members and the city’s personnel office, which launched an investigation.

Gwen Miller recommended the 15-year employee be dismissed, saying she had been warned once before not to use city computers for personal business. The councilwoman said Davis’ comments were inappropriate and did not relate to city matters.

Source: http://www.wtsp.com/