Butler County Commissioner Jim Eckstein on Wednesday accused his colleagues of fostering false allegations against him.

Eckstein, the sole Democrat on the board, said at the meeting that commissioners Bill McCarrier and Dale Pinkerton have created an environment in which people such as Children and Youth Services employee Michelle Green file complaints based on lies.

“They’re lower than pond scum,” Eckstein said about the other two commissioners.

McCarrier brushed off the insult.

“Consider the source,” he said.

While Pinkerton didn’t respond to Eckstein’s verbal attack, he did defend county employees.

Eckstein devoted his comments during the commissioner report section of the meeting to defending his actions on Aug. 14, when he tried obtaining information from the CYS office.

He again denied mistreating Green that day while trying to get the time card of suspended CYS caseworker Laurie Kubli.

“These allegations have no merit,” Eckstein said.

Kubli’s suspension and subsequent firing was related to an unspecified incident that occurred Aug. 8.

Eckstein was researching whether Kubli was working at the time of the Aug. 8 incident.

The Service Employees International Union subsequently filed a grievance over the firing. The county and union are headed for arbitration to settle the issue.

Following the Aug. 14 incident, Green filed a hostile work environment complaint with the county personnel department.

During an interview, she said the complaint was filed to prevent further contact with Eckstein.

According to Eckstein, Green filed the complaint to score “brownie points” with county officials.

He pointed out she works for CYS director Joyce Ainsworth, who previously filed a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaint against the county for Eckstein’s alleged mistreatment of her during a commissioners meeting.

The county commissioners in December settled Ainsworth’s complaint by attending training covering such topics as bullying in the workplace.

Eckstein maintains his innocence in that case as well.

“Is it a coincidence her boss filed an EEOC complaint against me?” Eckstein asked about Green.

McCarrier and Carmine Scotece, director of county human services, denied anyone put Green up to filing the complaint or that anyone promotes a hostile attitude toward Eckstein.

Scotece took offense at Eckstein’s characterization of county human services having such a “culture.”

Scotece pointed out there were two witnesses to Eckstein’s behavior in the CYS office.

Eckstein said in an interview the county neglected to interview a neutral witness to keep the investigation biased.

He reiterated Green, Ainsworth and Scotece violated county policy by not immediately providing the information he wanted.

“I have access to that,” Eckstein said.

Scotece stressed there was a misunderstanding over what information Eckstein was seeking that day.

Although McCarrier conceded there was no policy requiring commissioners to go through department heads first, he said that would be the proper way to handle it.

“It’s common courtesy,” McCarrier said.

Pinkerton said during his business career, he never would bypass a department head and put a worker on the spot.

“I just wouldn’t,” he said.

Eckstein chided McCarrier for previously saying Eckstein “terrorized” Green.

“Terrorism is a criminal act,” Eckstein said.

McCarrier said he was using one of the word’s definitions.

“This worker was terrified,” McCarrier said.

Eckstein insisted he did not upset Green.

“It’s political retribution,” he said.

Eckstein said he’s encountering problems because he is trying to reform government.

“I will not conform,” he said.

McCarrier gave a different reason for Eckstein’s issues.

“He has a record of harassing employees in the workplace,” he said.

Eckstein reiterated McCarrier’s written reprimand, which was dated Aug. 30, doesn’t hold water.

“His reprimand is meaningless,” Eckstein said.

McCarrier agreed the county can’t sanction Eckstein.

“We can do nothing to curb his behavior,” McCarrier said.

However, McCarrier said the county must address complaints such as Green’s.

“Somebody has to respond to it,” he said.

According to McCarrier, Eckstein behaves as if he’s absolved from every rule.

“He is exempt,” McCarrier said.

To illustrate the point, McCarrier held up copies of Eckstein’s travel expense forms showing the lines for the other two commissioners’ signatures were blacked out.

McCarrier pointed out Eckstein has difficulties with employees such as Ainsworth over travel expenses when he refuses to follow the same procedure.

Eckstein maintains the other commissioners would ban him from going to conferences if he gave them the opportunity.

After the meeting, he referred to Section 507 of state law governing counties.

According to that section, “The county commissioners shall be allowed their expenses, necessarily incurred and actually paid, in the discharge of their official duties, or in the performance of any service, office or duty imposed upon county commissioners.”

McCarrier said in an interview Eckstein’s expenses can be limited.