Lane County on Tuesday afternoon released a “condensation” of a months-long outside investigation regarding claims of Commissioner David Loveall retaliating against Lane County staff. The condensation found that Commissioner Loveall engaged in multiple incidents of retaliation against three staff members.
FULL DOCUMENT:
Condensation_of_MLEI_Attorney_Investigation_Report-FinalCorrectedThe investigation concluded that Commissioner Loveall violated county policies by retaliating against three employees:
• Employee 1: Retaliated against after reporting an inappropriate comment by Loveall comparing a community partner to a “stripper on a strip pole”. Adverse actions included Loveall threatening to “get rid of” involved people and refusing to share relevant project information.
• Employee 2: Retaliated against after filing a formal complaint regarding Loveall’s use of religious language (e.g., “Kingdom work”) in the workplace. Adverse actions included job threats and public statements belittling the employee’s complaint.
• County Administrator: Retaliated against for his role in responding to the employees’ complaints and reporting Loveall’s instructions to stop those complaints
Specific instances of misconduct
The report highlights several key interactions between June and December 2025:
• Hostile Confrontations: On June 17, 2025, Loveall told the County Administrator to tell employees to “fuck off” regarding their complaints, stating that “commissioners can do what they want”.
• Performance Review: On August 26, 2025, Loveall gave the County Administrator a 1 out of 5 rating on his annual performance review. The investigation found Loveall’s justifications for this score to be “unsupported” and “internally inconsistent”.
• Public and Private Disparagement: Loveall appeared on podcasts to discuss the internal complaints and HR processes publicly. He also texted a former employee seeking “county toxicity” to use as “offense” against the County Administrator.
• Political Threats: Reports emerged that Loveall was telling the public he intended to “get rid of” the County Administrator “on day one,” once he secured a third vote on the Board, even if it cost the county $500,000
Policy violations
The investigation applied Lane County’s Administrative Procedures Manual, which prohibits retaliation against individuals who report harassment, discrimination, or whistleblowing. The investigator found a direct “causal link” between the employees’ protected activities (filing or handling complaints) and Loveall’s subsequent adverse actions.
The Board of County Commissioners directed the release of this document in conjunction with an upcoming meeting. The Board of County Commissioners will consider this matter further in an executive session next week. Until the Board has an opportunity to decide what, if any, action to undertake, there will be no further comment on this document.
Information about upcoming Board of County Commissioners meetings is available at www.LaneCountyOR.gov/BoardAgendas.
