Livingston City Commission orders counseling for city manager after hallway confrontation

The Livingston City Commission voted June 10 to require documented counseling and de-escalation training for City Manager Grant Gager after an HR investigation and public hearing into a hallway confrontation with two fire department leaders.

HR Director Carrie Rubin told the commission she received a written complaint May 20 from Battalion Chief Jonathan Gilbert and a witness memorandum from Fire Chief Joshua Chablowski describing a roughly 1 minute, 45 second interaction outside the commission chambers on May 19. The complaint says Gager became “hostile,” pointed his finger, advanced toward Gilbert (who stepped back and raised a hand) and repeatedly told Gilbert to leave the building. Rubin said she interviewed the parties, reviewed witness statements and presented security-camera clips of the hallway encounter. Rubin read Gilbert’s complaint into the record and played multiple video angles for the commission.

Rubin summarized areas where accounts aligned and where they differed: all three witnesses placed the encounter in the same hallway area at about 20:00–20:30; the parties disagreed on whether Gager stepped into Gilbert’s personal space and on exact wording used. Gilbert’s complaint alleges profanity and aggressive language. Gager told Rubin he recalled pointing and being assertive but denied being hostile or intending to intimidate and said the door to the community room was open.

Attorney Hess guided the commission and public on process: because the complainant and witness waived privacy, the hearing was conducted in open session but public comment was limited to the single incident at issue. Dozens of residents who came to the microphone or joined online were directed to confine remarks to the hallway incident; several urged the commission to take the matter seriously, while others urged restraint and reliance on the evidence.

After questions, review of the video, and deliberation in public session, commissioners agreed that at minimum the personnel handbook rule to “refrain from using slang or profanity” (chapter 4.1.1) had been violated as presented in the complaint and corroborated by the investigation. The panel discussed remedial options in the handbook — including documented counseling, written reprimand, suspension and termination — and by consensus favored a documented counseling record paired with required training. The commission approved a motion, moved by Commissioner O’Neal and seconded by Commissioner Daniels, to subject the city manager to documented counseling with de-escalation or stress-management training related to the complaint and findings. The motion passed on a roll-call vote of the commissioners present.

Commissioners directed that the chair and vice chair deliver the documented counseling to Gager, produce a signed record of the counseling for the personnel file, and require proof of completed training. Rubin noted the city’s existing employee-assistance resources and discussed options such as ICMA or League-of-Cities programs as potential training sources; commissioners said they expected the city manager to work with HR to identify an appropriate training resource and to provide confirmation of completion.

Gager returned to the dais after the vote and offered a public apology, saying he regretted his conduct during “a moment of profound disappointment and frustration” and that he would work to do better. Commissioners thanked participating staff and the parties for waiving privacy so the process could be public and said they hoped the action would help the city move forward.

What’s next: the chair and vice chair will meet with Gager to deliver the documented counseling, the record will be placed in his personnel file, and the commission expects the manager to identify and complete an approved de-escalation or stress management program; the commission did not impose suspension, demotion, or termination.