One of two finalists for fire chief of the City of Ames Fire Department is in an ongoing employment dispute that left her fired from a similar position.

The City of Ames named its finalists for the position of fire chief on Wednesday. Lynn Washburn-Livingston and Rich Higgins are the final two candidates to fill the position that former Ames Fire Chief Shawn Bayouth held before he resigned in April after 10 years with the Ames Fire Department.

Washburn-Livingston, who served as the fire chief in Davenport, Iowa, between the years of 2011 and 2017 was named a finalist less than two hours after she had her most recent court hearing over an employment dispute between her and the City of Davenport.

Washburn-Livingston alleges she was fired after repeated harassment, intimidation and bullying from city officials and a forced resignation by City Administrator Corri Spiegel. This alleged forced resignation came after Washburn-Livingston filed a complaint with the city’s human resources department.

According to the Quad-City Times, these claims are denied by the City of Davenport, who have said she was dismissed for her job performance, saying it was “plagued by her bad decisions and poor judgment.”

City attorneys have supported this claim saying Washburn-Livingston used public money to pay for unapproved office remodelling, inappropriately managed the fire department’s financial needs and consistently failed to attend conferences.

Washburn-Livingston also filed a sexual harassment claim against the city because of an alleged package received by a city employee containing “pornographic items.” The city denies this claim, saying there is “no evidence” to support it.

The judge on the case said he will be coming forward with a decision within the next two months.

When asked if the city took the investigation into consideration when choosing Washburn-Livingston, Susan Gwiasda, City of Ames public relations officer, did not recognize Washburn-Livingston’s legal case and said human resources only considers what is on the application. 

“When we are deciding what candidates to move forward, we look at the information and questions that we have asked,” Gwiasda said. “That is whats considered when moving forward.”

During the upcoming public hearings, Gwiasda said people would be able to ask and raise concerns about the candidates that weren’t part of the application process.

Gwiasda said it would be against “the process” at this stage to look at information outside of the questions asked on the application and through the interview process. 

“There are legal reasons why… why we have this process the way it is,” Gwiasda said.

In relation to the Ames position, Washburn-Livingston earned an associate’s degree from Rock Valley Community College where she also worked as an adjunct instructor in Fire Science Management from  2001 to 2011. She also holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville and a master’s degree in organizational management from Ashford University in San Diego.

Outside of her position as the fire chief for the City of Davenport, she served for 30 years in Rockford, Illinois, in multiple positions.

“From 1981 to 2011, Washburn-Livingston worked for the Rockford, Ill., Fire Department serving as a firefighter/paramedic, lieutenant, and captain before retiring as district chief,” said a press release from the City of Ames.

Washburn-Livingston will give a presentation at 4 p.m. on Thursday, July 26, at the Ames City Hall in the City Council Chambers.

The second finalist for Ames fire chief is the current interim Fire Chief Rich Higgins.

Higgins joined the City of Ames Public Works Department in 2000, where he eventually became a firefighter two years later. In 2006, Higgins was promoted to lieutenant. From 2009 to 2012 he served as the shift commander and eventually became deputy chief.

According to a press release from the City of Ames, “Higgins earned an associate’s degree from Des Moines Area Community College, in Ankeny; a bachelor’s degree from Upper Iowa University, in Fayette; and a master’s degree in public administration from Indiana State University, Terre Haute, Ind.”

Higgins is expected to give a public presentation in the City Council Chamber on Aug. 13 at 4 p.m.

This story will be updated as more information is made available.