To the City of Cincinnati Human Resources Department:

This letter is in regards to my termination/forced resignation from Councilmember Seth Walsh’s

office on May 3, 2023. I was given two choices 1. To sign an official termination letter or 2. To
sign a letter of resignation with no conversation or explanation. I chose the latter so my
professional career would not be affected negatively.

To begin, I want to share with you that I was excited to offer my skill set to a newly appointed
young leader of the city of Cincinnati's city council as I’ve proven to successfully run offices for
first time office holders in my previous roles. You will find in the body of this email some of the
questions and concerns I've gathered over my short time in Cincinnati City Hall.

First, I am requesting a reason for my forced resignation as I plan to seek further

employment because I was not given a cause to be able to explain to future employment
opportunities.

The Councilmember and I share very similar professional networks so my concern lies not only
in why I was forced to resign and or accept a termination, but I am also concerned about the
impact of my reputation as I seek other jobs.

Issues I’d like to point out are as follows:

Abrupt Forced Resignation Without Cause

-At no point in my employment with the City of Cincinnati did I receive a performance evaluation
or warning concerning my job duties as the Director of Community Growth & Outreach.

-While I understand that Ohio is an at-will state, in most professional environments an

opportunity to discuss any tensions are permitted between a team leader and their support
staff. Considering the tremendous role of a councilmember as a city leader and elected official,
I expected no less than this. Instead, I was not permitted to have any communication with
Councilmember Walsh. Councilmember Walsh was actively avoiding me and canceled our
weekly one on one meeting with me on April 26, 2023 and the week after on May 2, 2023.

-Instead of communicating directly with me, Councilmember Walsh directed his campaign
manager Brianna Ledsome (a political consultant with 1919 Consulting) to communicate on
his behalf. I had concerns that miscommunications were taking place due to her unnecessary
involvement.

Retaliation:
-I was called into a meeting with Brianna Ledsome, on May 2 2023 to discuss their displeasure
of an “office reset document” that I created to express my concerns. This document was
created as my personal guide to address these matters with Councilmember Walsh at the next
staff meeting or one on one. In context this document would have been a constructive aid. It
was instead discovered in my workspace, read, and shared without context and without my
knowledge or consent. In the document, concerns about the office running as a campaign vs
an official office of a Councilmember were mentioned. Considering tax payers pay us to serve
people, not ourselves for political purposes, I believe this is the root of Brianna’s statement to
me during this meeting. Brianna Ledsome stated that Seth Walsh did not “trust” me and did not
want to “communicate” with me.

Influence over my financial status & continued hardship:

-Seth Walsh and Brianna Ledsome hired me knowing my financial situation as I had been laid
off for over two months prior to joining the newly appointed Councilmember at City Hall.

-I understand that my personal finances are my own. The reason I expressed these personal
trials to both Councilmember Walsh and Brianna Ledsome was to inform their decision and
expectations. I committed to starting in my role January 17th while still residing in Columbus. I
commuted to Cincinnati for eight weeks. The commute alone was a strain on my finances
(commuting total was over 2,000 miles). Councilmember Seth Walsh made arrangements for
me to live with his campaign manager, Brianna Ledsome while in transition from Columbus to
Cincinnati.

-Councilmember Seth Walsh facilitated my rental arrangement with his friend and colleague,
my current landlord, Carla Horne. They initiated the process of moving me into a College Hill
property she manages and that Councilmember Wash is credited for developing during his time
working for the College Hill Urban Redevelopment Corporation. He issued me a $3K relocation
bonus that was to be used as a deposit on this unit so there was further motive in his interest to
move me into Cincinnati.

While there are many ways to go about a termination of an employee or resolving any and all
issues, the Councilmember chose specifically to give me no warning or opportunity to correct
any issues that caused his dissatisfaction. This leads me to believe it was an act of retaliation
considering the financial vulnerability I am facing.

I am requesting information to my questions below— specifically in regards to how

Councilmember Seth Walsh's office has been operating:

1. Is it common practice for a campaign manager that is non-city employee to facilitate

official city business on behalf of an elected official?
2. Is it common for a non-city employee to mediate interpersonal issues between city
employees and elected officials being the ONLY source of communication between a
Councilmember and their staff?
3. What is City Hall's policy in regards to non-city employees engaging in official city
matters?
 4. What is City Hall's policy on using official time and resources for campaign & political
purposes?

If you are unable to answer the questions that I have, please refer me to someone that can.

In closing, as a young Black woman who has spent over 8 years in public service working in
multiple government jurisdictions, the above is concerning coming from an elected office and in
fact, an experience I’ve never had before. I believe as public servants we should serve as
thought leaders and be examples.

I am bringing these matters to your attention not as a disgruntled employee, but as someone
who has a heart of public servitude and knows right from wrong.

I am requesting a response by Friday May 5th before taking further action to get answers.

Thank you,

Tristina Allen