ML20215L064
| ML20215L064 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 03/27/1986 |
| From: | Palladino N NRC COMMISSION (OCM) |
| To: | Connelly S NRC OFFICE OF INSPECTOR & AUDITOR (OIA) |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20215K297 | List:
|
| References | |
| FOIA-86-85, FOIA-86-A-29 NUDOCS 8610280450 | |
| Download: ML20215L064 (5) | |
Text
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UNITED STATES r
8 NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION g
a WASHINGTON, D. C. 20555 g,*..** /
March 27, 1986 CHAIRMAN MEMORANDUM FOR:
Sharon Connelly, Director Office of Inspector and Auditor FROM:
Nunzio J. Palladino
SUBJECT:
TERMINATION OF ADMINISTR TIVE LEAVE At the direction of the Commission, effective Close-of-Business today, you are hereby restored to duty status as Director of the Office of Inspector and Auditor, cc:
Commissioner Roberts Commissioner Asselstine Commissioner Bernthal Commissioner Zech G. Edles N. Bentson, ADM i
8610280450 e61021 1
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WASHINGTON O.C.2o005 Front Edit Other Page Page Page.
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TASffINGTO.'i, D.C.
j POST M-728,837 3-1,033,207 TalkingPoints JM 3 0.1986 3. dm Dole Picks Woman d""8 d '.="> h*"***=*at a= I plaint At issue is whether Connelly As His Staff Chief bungled the handling of a complaint,
against her deputy, George Mes-;
senger. It,is said on the Hill that she,
' Senate Majority Leader Robert J.. not only tried to discourage the fe-l Dolef(R-Kan.) yesterday named male complainant from filing i j
SheilsF Berke as his new chief of against; Messenger, but.that shel staff makmg her,the. highest-rank. a may have gone so far as to threaten ing woman in the Senate leaderslup reprisals. against the employe.~. A
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hierarchy-one of the few women,. third member of the staff, special
.in fact;to hold a high staff position assistant George A. Mulley, is said i
.in. the: Senate. as-a 'whole: Senate to have combed the; personnel ydchsr* ~ssy that, as-deputy chief files-which contain the.cullings.of
.of Dole's iltaff, she was the o5vious 5 secunty clearance investigations-choice.,t6iteplaca Roderick Dear...of the victun and three other people i
ment,3who' resigned to become a ; who testified.on her behalf. '....;
, Rep. Edwaid J. Markey's (D-l partnefin the Washington' law firm Mass.) sut+V=:ttee on Energy,
~
.of Covington and Burling.
i JBurke:iiin trained surseYith a.. Conservation ($ndiPower is the FMdegree in*pubhe admud.. group that prodded the.NRC into
.tratiair 6onr' Harvard? University..g action.m a,.p. ' ?
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dW '2 E7b:
. Aftersjoining'the'.1ienate Finance ' #.5 Committes staffiin: 1979,* she be. N^7
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?came. deputy? staff! director under W,* Rhetorle'-101"..'. Another con.
l Dole.is1982, and moved to the ma ; cern g Markey's subcomnuttee is
_ jority leader's office.when Dole was what.,effect. Gramm-Rudman-Hol.
' elected'to'that post lasfyear. -,y lings cuts are ' apt to have on, thy,
' Liguppagel. Burke hasta ~ high.. Ene,s. Department's. budgets,for
'p;owered,{ dual-Washington-msider %enmonmutalcleanup and, prow
'carepif marnage-to David Chew,. ^ tion 4Jiuclear installations. fran
'a top aide to White House chief of 3termism.dn d=n=g.ee. issue
. staff Dseald T;Regan5%'O,.d4.$early.this week, Markey made thej 2.-,.m..m n e renms3 ollowing contribution to public dis,
f
@ ;b.." 8%#/j Q T coursevGrambeis swingingits'6ia4
.Q" WM't' e Watclul5g$ka@2 "I*'" "P DOE's polluted nuclear.
'*'8 8* "I #
h m-dog'.*f Sharon Commellr, head of-the~,*Noclear. Regulatory.h ; dustrial swamp, but the White, House has. ordered its technocrats
" OHid-Y t'o protect,the,X-raf las'er and'other.
or has I
- **P' istrative lesive," withJpay, while the
'## "" U* '" Was aPPaetly a OWR-l NRC and'a congressional subcom-preparedstatement.
l migt,ee-investigate her office's han,
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7 WASHINGrON$.C. 2000s Front Edit Otner
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Page Page Page JAN 311986
?MILADELPHIA, PA.
INQUIRER
.: - 5 % 5, 5 69 S '. 000,527 XRC reviewing sex case By Guy Darst over the office until resolution of the
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case.
Markey's letter did not say where WASHINGTON-The Nucteer Reg.
the allegaticas originated. The letter ulatory Commission has placed its
- hief investigator on leave after a did say that an accusation of sexual, c
harassment had been made against congressman's complaint about her the deputy director of the office.!
i handling of a sexual harassment George H. Messenger, and that the A commissica statement lateTues-l assistantto the director, George Mal.[j case.
day said Sharon. R Connelly had.. ley Jr, !!1egally. reviewed security ;
been placed on administrative leave investigation files ofthe woman who
- with pay while the commiselon re. filed the complaint and her-wit-views " allegations regarding some Messenger, reached at home yes.;
ne m members of the office terday, said,"There is no foundation i The leave "does not imply a judg.
ment on the facts by thecomminamn.'. to the complaints ".
. i,,
i
. He said he still held the title of.
nor is it a punteveaction,".the com..' deputy director of the inspection of. '
mission saad.
Connelly heedithd Off!ce of in.c fice but had been assigned to the:
spector and Auditor; which is the.. Office of Human Factors on Jan.15.,
nine before before Markey's letter commission's counterpart to inspec was sent.
j tor generais* offices in other agen-He referred other questions to hisi On Wednesday, the office of Rep attorney, Richard Jordan.
j
. cres, Edward J. Markey (D. Mass.), chairs., Mulley, now serving as acting as.'
man of the energy conservation and sistant director for investigations,'
power subcometttee of the House Esaad the allegations"were not factual Er.ergy and Commerca Committee,... we were-not involved in any
,nsovided a copy of the letter he impropriety"and" lam confident the
'vrote asking that " officials untaint. current investigation will be re.
ed by the present allegations".tak..e solved.in our fa,vor,".
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w.u mw
- u 3RC Official R.einstatA,f '
j Despite Probe Results 7
, Justice Dept. Found Evidence ofImpropriel}
s priety"in the the'way she and tyo By Howard Kurtz deputies handled a sexual harass-i w.m.ca he sun war ment complaint. The complaint wb i
Days before the Nuclear Regu-against Conne!!y's deputy diredtdr, l
latory Comnussion remstated its George Messenger, who has since chief inspector last week, the Jus been detailed to another job. j' i
tice Department warned the'com-Messenger's attorney, Richa#rd mission that it had found evidence ' Jordan, said yesterday that MessEn.
she handled a discrmunation com, ~ger did nothing impr of serious improprieties in the way plaint filed by a subordinate.
his accohnt.
l A senior Justice Department of-On Sept. 11,1985, accordin'g?to q.9 V ficial said in a letter that there is Lippe's letter, Connelly reviewdd kr
" clear and convincing evidence" of the personnel and security Ges of improper conduct by Sharon R.
Lisa Shea, a former auditor in lier'
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Connelly, director of the NRC's Of-office who had filed an equal Em-fice of Inspector and Audit and that; ployment' opportunity (EEO) c'ob should be taken against her. But the plaint against Conn
" meaningful admmistrative action
- ger the day before.
commission took Connelly off ad-
. Under the Privacy' Act,' Lippe'
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ministrative leave and returned her said," records may not be pulled for an improper purpose," such as7a to her job.
tution of criminal charges 'until we privately conducted fish
. We have decided to defer insti-dition to obtain ' dirt' against an'em-can assess whether administrative ploye to discredit them in an EEO action to be taken against.Ms. Con-proceedmg.".....9w.
M nelly satisfies the interests of jus-Connelly said she did not know of igation for the jus'tice Department's.', Shea's complaint tice," Lawrence Lippe, chief of lit-files to check a possible inconsisten-Criminal Division, tctd the NRC in. 'cy in her academic credentialsgic-
..... cording to Lippe's letter.'He said the March 22 letter.. '.
Lippe'said the department had.this ' explanation "does not make offered to drop the case if Connelly sense in ~ view of the facts."
could pass an FBI polygraph test, "We believe there is, at least, but that she declined to take one, clear and convincin'g evidence that while her chief accuser. agreed to Ms. Conne!!y knew prior to.the such a test'. i. ;. '..
'.%, time she requ'ested Lisa Shea's per -
Connelly's attorney, August Be sonnel and security files that Ms.
i quai, called the. letter " outrageous" Shea was about to Ge or had gled and." irresponsible
- and lsaid.it / an EE0 complaint, and that sucig a i
turned " allegations made by one fding would be contrary to Ms. Con-i individual... Into a de facto finding - nelly's... best interest,". Lippe D
of guilt."..
.-. b. 5 said. ':
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On two occasions last year,ie -
l
- There really isn't a case' here,".
Bequal said yesterday. 'He added said, "Ms. Connelly made trouble-that Connelly had a legal right to ' some,if notintimidating remarks *to decline a polygraph test and that he Ms. Shea to discourage her from had advised her not to take it.
filing an EEO complaint."
. v.:
An NRC spokesman said yester-Attorney Bequai said it is "ridic-day
- the commissioners stand by ulous" to suggest that Connelly their statement that they found the urged Shea not to file a complaint.
allegations unsubstantiated and re-Her said Connelly was entitled.to tain full confidence in Connelly. A review the records and that "the're justice Department official declined is no evidence... that Ms. Connelly
~'
to comment.on whether' further ~ violated the law."
action would be takeninlight of the Lippe charges that Connelly and i
NRC's handling of the matter.
her attorney have:tried to divert
.a.
Connelly was placed onleave Jan. attention from the case by risaking 23 titer Rep. Edward J. Markey " derogatory references
- to Shea's (D. Mass.) asked the NRC to look personal life. Bequal called this al-g nto, allegations of " serious impro-legation" pure nonsense."
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THE NEW YORK TISfES, THURSDAY, APRIL 3,1986 37'"][g')])
THE MAGIC OF MA(
i THE ART OF LYRIC.
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).., yA.1)A)xL AUDITION THEMT
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/ w wh Justice Dept, May Renew Case f
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e Won Reinstatement a
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I By BEN A. FRANKLIN y]$
w sp.cw to n. new rat nmes 1 M 1,
WASHINGTON, April 2 -- The Jus-a tice Department said today that it was considering whether to bring criminal m
charges against the top investigator of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
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whom the agency reinstated last week.
The issue is how the investigator, s,
the agency's in-Sharon R. Connelly,dled a complaint i
spector general, han Oh of job discrimination and sexual har.
assment filed by an employee.
Nl in a letter to the panel commission.
ers on March 21. Jusuce Departmem IpS lawyers described Mrs. Connelly's con-duct as " misguided," " incorrect" and 1
s J
0 as representing " potential violations."
wnere uu c oa 3
The empioyee compiaint was made Ck 2005 %
1221 Larinen h
[fnn 1y Lawrence Lippe, a lawyer in the Jus-2Y7NeF 2Ys35-5No of ic ~
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i tice Department, wrote, "We have de-open 7 days uon throughsat
'f cided to defer institution of criminal
- s#... ' 'j'
]D charges until we can assess whether
,7 administrative action satisfies jus-(
g gQ tice."
)
On Thursday, however, the commis-1ge l
sion reinstated Mrs. Connelly, an-(
s 20" Color 5'
' nouncing that "while there was a prob-
'/deo Conitor 4
T lem of perception" about her conduct.
A fa***<
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'"M*/#l"ntn%fe'"?J'"!? d;"
CAUGHTIN AB e i-1 gation was confirmed by John Russell, skyscraper going up on our left! skyset 4'
a department spokesman, caught in the middle - scaffold ngobst severe slowdown I,,I, j
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Mrs. Connelly was suspended with i
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pay on Jan. 28.
U, Drough her lawyer, August Bequal, hv s44e Mrs. Connelly today reasserted her in-Q J,,,
nocence Mr. Bequal accused the Jus-T, T,
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tice Department of " orchestrating se-electree6e synteesuor tumag
~
r asse64me espe, lective leakage" of its March 21 letter
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- s toy fue tweses rosess centres==t
- lS AVE $50l "in the face of the N.R.C. conclusion Entu, e: -
cien es meet us to 16e meutes that this woman has done nothing VCRBUY'(WTHE, YEAR iet #, '28 3'"gn"'"J3*',"r" 50% to 7(
wrong."
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sessed" were that Mrs. Connelly in an some of the most elegant andluxurious attempt to deter a sexual harassment anywhere in New York - distmetrve, ins i
'.; 47
,,.m complaint an auditor and to intimi-swesters, allwith ongmalimport '
f lON SCREEN DISPLAY l fljdYs* closure o'! thYaNitorEe"cunty Select Groups o y
Designer Styled h file. De Justice Department letter said that withdrawing security records g
for a " privately conducted fishing ex.
pedition to obtain ' dirt' against an em-Superlative. itahan-loomed cyee would be a violation of the Prt.
blends - among the The root of the dispute, the sexual I
Gvcnt/28. Day Video Cassette Recorder connelly?s"depu?y Ne"o'rg"e$t.N e$cn Maior creet c.
cco R: mote & On Screen Progransming ger, has been settled by negotiation Y(
regulatory commission officials said.
G
- 2 seeed recorving 3 speed piaveack Mr. Messenger, who denied the k
charges, has been transferred to an-l 7
,,c 4$4e e[tf.[..aNmame time, Tl other position.
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