Head of Austin's civil rights office on leave amid investigation into alleged employee mistreatment
AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The head of Austin's Office of Civil Rights has been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation into complaints made against her.
Carol Johnson is director of the OCR. She began her tenure with the city in February 2021.
KXAN reported back in April that a third party city-funded investigation into Johnson was underway amid allegations of mistreatment and retaliation against office employees.
“To establish the next steps and ensure OCR has a successful path forward, Carol Johnson has been temporarily assigned to administrative leave status pending completion of management’s review of these complaints," a city spokesperson told KXAN in a statement Friday.
"This action does not mean that the City has made any final determination about the complaints but is instead a temporary step to ensure the continuity of the OCR’s work while this matter is under review."
Tamela Saldaña, assistant director of the Small and Minority Business Resources Department, will serve as acting director of the OCR while Johnson is on leave.
An initial complaint against Johnson was filed to the Office of the City Auditor in November, which was then forwarded to the Human Resources Department in January.
The city paid $15,000 to hire Austin-based Lynch Law Firm for the investigation that began in January.