Ex-Columbia senior official had sex with an employee, emails allege

Allison Baker had an inappropriate sexual relationship with an employee when he was the city of Columbia’s senior assistant city manager and also ignored complaints of sexual harassment in the workplace, according to emails obtained by The State newspaper.

City officials announced earlier this month that Baker abruptly retired Dec. 1 after allegations of “inappropriate behavior” were made against him Nov. 29. At the time, the city did not offer details about the accusations.

The emails obtained Wednesday by The State involve an exchange between the unidentified employee and the city’s human resources director, Pamela Benjamin. The emails provide details about the accusations against Baker. The city redacted the employee’s identity.

The State obtained the communications Wednesday through a request filed under the state’s Freedom of Information Act.

Baker did not immediately return a phone message from The State on Wednesday afternoon.

In an email dated Nov. 29, the unidentified employee wrote about “an inappropriate relationship with Allison Baker who was my supervisor.” The email does not specify the employee’s gender.

Among the accusations made in the email:

▪ Baker asked “inappropriate questions” in the employee’s job interview and initially determined not to make a job offer based on the person’s response that “those questions are not appropriate.” The employee was later hired after another job candidate fell through, according to the email.

▪ Baker said the employee was “having trouble getting along with” co-workers and asked to meet the employee at a restaurant near the Columbia Metropolitan Airport. “Standing near my Suburban, I was saying thank you for meeting with me when he pushed me up against my truck and started kissing me,” the complainant wrote. “I was afraid.”

▪ Baker once kissed the employee in the City Hall elevator.

▪ Baker and the employee met “a few times” to have sex at his house before the employee ended the relationship with Baker.

▪ Baker verbally abused and taunted the employee in front of other staff members. “This was characteristic of how he treated employees when he wanted to demoralize them for not doing things the way he instructed,” the complainant wrote.

▪ The employee reported to Baker that another unidentified worker had given the employee an unwanted kiss in the workplace. “I typed up what had happened and made an appointment to see Baker, who told me I misunderstood and that (the other employee) was a nice man and didn’t mean any harm,” the complainant wrote.

▪ In partially redacted portions of the email, the employee alludes to sexual misconduct by other unidentified city employees.

After the employee sent Benjamin the initial email with the allegations, Benjamin responded with an email to set up a meeting. On Dec. 1, Benjamin wrote to the employee that “Sexual harassment is unacceptable at the City of Columbia and we take all allegations of such activity very seriously. As we discussed yesterday, any necessary action will be taken to ensure everyone has a safe and harassment free workplace.”

That same day, Baker submitted his two-sentence letter of retirement.

When Baker’s retirement became public, city manager Teresa Wilson said Baker had made “certain admissions” in response to the accusations against him. She did identify the admissions.

No formal complaints had ever been filed against Baker as city employee, according to city officials and a review of his personnel file.

Baker is the pastor at Cornerstone Baptist Church in Columbia, according to the church’s website.

Baker worked for the city of Columbia since 1997, when he was hired as the director of parks and recreation. He was promoted to assistant city manager in 2004 and senior assistant city manager in 2008.

Because he worked for 20 years for the city, Baker will draw retirement benefits. His salary was $153,703 when he retired.

This story was originally published December 20, 2017 at 5:45 PM with the headline "Ex-Columbia senior official had sex with an employee, emails allege."