WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – A former top staffer has sued the city of Wilmington, the second lawsuit filed by a former employee against the city this year.
Kathryn Thurston, who spent nearly two decades with the city, including 10 years as zoning administrator, filed the suit in Superior Court on Friday. The 27-page lawsuit alleges the city violated its own policies in pushing out Thurston and pressured her to resign as part of a broader reorganization plan implemented by city manager Becky Hawke.
“This case is about far more than an internal personnel dispute. We allege that the City adopted detailed disciplinary procedures to protect permanent employees from arbitrary action, then refused to follow those very procedures when it mattered most,” Thurston’s attorney, Gary Shipman, wrote in a statement. “Our Constitution protects not only a person’s right to work but also the right to pursue one’s profession free from arbitrary governmental action. We intend to prove that Ms. Thurston was denied those protections.”…