- May 3, 2024
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Some public employees have not responded well to Tony Capela’s private-sector mentality.
Former Palm Coast employee Terry Geigert, who worked for the city for more than six years, filed a complaint against her former boss in August, alleging she was demoted and sexually harassed on the job.
In the complaint, she said she was discharged in March because of her sex and in retaliation for her complaints of discrimination in regard to her direct supervisor, Tony Capela, streets superintendant for the city.
After investigating the complaint, the Florida Commission on Human Relations eventually ruled against Geigert, stating: “There is no reasonable cause to believe that an unlawful employment practice occurred.”
The claim was dismissed by the agency, the report states.
As the state was investigating the complaints, Palm Coast’s human resource department launched an internal investigation of Capela and found that supervisors under Capela agreed the work environment in streets and drainage “is difficult.”
According to the city’s report, “Recurring themes during our conversations included terms such as ‘belittled,’ ‘humiliated,’ ‘intimidated,’ and the like. ... Each reported that Mr. Capela would yell and swear at his subordinates.”
In the report, Human Resources Director Wendy Cullen noted that the purpose of the investigation was to elicit culture change in the department. Capela also needed to adopt a calmer managing style and develop better communications skills.
Still, according to Renee Shevlin, chief operating officer for streets and drainage, there is more to Capela than his abrasive style.
“Is he intense? Absolutely,” Shevlin said. “Is he passionate? Absolutely. But he is also kind, and he invests in our people.”
Private sector rules
Before moving to Palm Coast in 2006, Capela was a supervisor, operator and just about everything else — all in the construction trade. He saw a job listing for streets superintendent for the city, and he got the job.
He was expecting a similar environment to the one he had left in the private sector, but he had a rude awakening.
Comparatively, he said, there was little training, no urgency and no respect for management.
One day in 2007, he recalls, he visited a crew on the job, and they had their feet up and were taking a nap on the equipment. He tried to get them back to work, and one worker said, “What are you getting so excited about?” Capela recalls. He added: “I don’t blame the employees. There were a lot of good employees who just didn’t have the leadership.”
Shevlin said one of her previous duties in the department was to snap beans for the weekly barbecue, which occurred Fridays.
“This was not considered as a business,” Capela said. “It was looked at as Monopoly money. That’s how the general culture felt: ‘It’s not your money dude. What are you worried about?’”
Love him or hate him, Capela got results and continues to do so, according to Richard Adams, public works director, who calls Capela a perfectionist.
In-house approach
Because he got results, City Manager Jim Landon added more and more to Capela’s responsibilities. Whereas he used to have about 50 employees under him, Capela now has 86 — while the city’s overall staff has shrunk by about 40 in the same time period.
According to Landon, Capela spearheaded the addition of four new fields at the Indian Trails Sports Complex, which was completed in record time to accommodate organizers who wanted to bring large athletics tournaments to town. Also, because it was done in-house, taxpayers saved approximately $300,000, Landon said.
The 800 List
Capela was also tasked with managing the swale rehab in the city. When he took over, there was no expectation for getting a job done in any specific timeframe, he said. To jumpstart the crews, he set a goal of rehabbing 300 feet of swales in one day. The employees rebelled. His reply?
“I jumped up into the machine and did it myself,” he said. “Not only that, I did 1,000 feet. And I promised them a pizza day when they got 1,000 feet.”
Within three months, one of the crews hit the 1,000-foot mark in a day.
When Capela took over, there was a list of complaints that never seemed to go below 800. Employees called it The 800 List.
“Now, it’s down to 60, and none are older than six months,” Adams said. “That’s just typical of what we’ve done out there.”
“I have 20-plus years in this business,” Capela said. “This is all I’ve ever done.”
Adams said Landon has made similar changes in other departments, as well.
“It all came down from the top,” Adams said. “He looked at what was going on, and he reorganized.”
Culture change
Today, things are different. The employees who were being trained are now the trainers. New leadership positions were created. Now, the employees talk about “serving the customers,” instead of “dealing with residents.” Capela and the city are doing more with less.
But that’s not to say there haven’t been some growing pains associated with the culture change.
According to the city, Geigert has filed an appeal based on the results from the Florida Commission on Human Relations report. Regardless of the outcome of the appeal, the city’s internal investigation indicates that change is needed in Capela’s management style, as well.
To his credit, Capela recognized that in his early days on the job, as well. Since then, he has gone to night school to earn a bachelor’s degree in public administration. He’s now working on a master’s.
“I don’t manage today the way I did back then,” he said. “I understand how to communicate now … When you have 85 personalities, you don’t and you can’t work in one method. And I’ve learned that.”
