History of complaints against Loveall alarms Lane County administrator 

Lane County Commissioner David Loveall got right to the point when he walked into county administrator Steve Mokrohisky’s office June 17.

“I’ll warn you, this isn’t going to be pleasant,” Loveall, the county commissioner board chair, told Mokrohisky, according to the administrator’s notes of the conversation. 

During the meeting, the notes say, Loveall asked Mokrohisky why county staff were complaining about his actions and his language, calling the complaints “bulls—” and urging the administrator to tell the employees to “f— off.” 

“Commissioners can do whatever they want and there’s nothing anyone can do about it,” Loveall was quoted as saying.

Mokrohisky, administrator since 2014, documented the conversation in an email he sent to Loveall and the four other commissioners Sept. 4. 

Lookout Eugene-Springfield obtained a copy of the eight-page email through a public records request.

Mokrohisky’s email to Loveall recounted their conversation and other incidents. In the email, Mokrohisky said he decided to send it after Loveall canceled three different scheduled one-on-one meetings in the last two months.

The email lays out Mokrohisky’s concerns about the elected commissioner’s pattern of statements and comments over the last two years — and appeals to Loveall to do better. 

“I want to stress this point: your behavior has become so problematic largely because of how you have responded to these concerns when you are confronted with them,” Mokrohisky wrote. “You have been defiant and repeatedly escalated the issues by deflecting responsibility, demeaning others and accusing those who have raised the concerns of being at fault. These escalations could have been avoided if you had responded with any amount of curiosity, humility and integrity.”

Reached by Lookout Eugene-Springfield, Loveall said many of the issues raised in the email were deemed attorney-client privileged and executive session communications that are still in “accusational” form. He did not elaborate on which points were privileged. 

“Any due process on my behalf about intention or context have yet to be considered,” he texted a reporter. “The balanced process needs to run its fair and just course before any conclusions (are reached).”

The email provides the most detailed accounting to date of Loveall’s interactions behind the scenes of county government and complaints about his behavior. It’s not the first time glimpses of turmoil around Loveall’s tenure with the county have spilled out into the open. 

Former county counsel Erin Pettigrew filed a tort claim alleging harassment, including that Loveall said he was worried she would become a “spinster.” Last year, the county settled the claim for $250,000. 

At a Sept. 9 meeting of the county commissioners, Heather Buch highlighted the email and urged the board to take the concerns seriously. 

“He continues to act outside the established rules that apply to all employees, citing his elected status,” Buch said. “Were it anyone else in the organization but an elected official, these behaviors would not have been tolerated, even potentially resulting in termination.”

At the meeting, Loveall did not respond to Buch’s statement. 

In a statement to Lookout Eugene-Springfield, county spokesperson Devon Ashbridge said Mokrohisky did not have additional comment about the email. She said the goal of the email was to encourage dialogue among leadership about appropriate workplace behaviors. 

Former Lane County counsel alleged sexism and hostility from elected officials 

‘Commissioners can do whatever they want’

Mokrohisky gives this account of the June 17 conversation in his email:

Loveall wanted the administrator to put an end to employee complaints — specifically about Loveall’s choice of words, which included his “spinster” comment to the former county counsel and a separate comment in which he compared a female agency leader to a “stripper on a strip pole.” 

“It’s bulls—,” Loveall said. “This has to stop. This is your organization. You are in charge and you have allowed this culture to exist where employees can complain about anything they want. You need to stop it.” 

Mokrohisky asked Loveall what he should do to “stop it.” 

“Tell the employees to f— off,” Loveall responded. “Commissioners can do whatever they want and there’s nothing anyone can do about it.”

Mokrohisky said he told Loveall he wouldn’t do that. Loveall persisted. 

“I’m upset, Steve,” Loveall said. “This is bulls— and if you don’t take care of this, then we need to have a conversation about your job.”

Again, Mokrohisky asked what he should do. And again, Loveall insisted that he tell employees to stop complaining.

“There’s nothing they can do to stop commissioners from saying and doing whatever they want,” Loveall said. “You’re not doing your job, Steve. I’m really upset. And if you don’t fix this, then you and I have a problem and I am going to do everything I can to get rid of these people.”

Mokrohisky explained to Loveall that he wouldn’t do that and employees have a right to a safe workplace and can express concerns, with county policies and procedures in place to ensure “bad behaviors do not happen repeatedly.” 

Loveall was ready to leave at that point. 

“Well, it seems we have an issue,” he said. “I told you this wouldn’t be pleasant.”

‘Stripper on a strip pole’

The email also discusses a complaint made by a county worker in early June about a statement Loveall made in a meeting with two female employees.

In that meeting, Loveall called a female executive of a local public agency a “stripper on a strip pole.” 

The employee asked to speak with Loveall directly about “how distressing it was to have someone in your position call a respected female leader in the community a ‘stripper on a strip pole,’” Mokrohisky wrote to Loveall. 

The issue surfaced again when Mokrohisky and Loveall met June 23, six days after Loveall demanded the administrator end the complaints.

Loveall said the county needed a “culture shift.” Mokrohisky asked him how the county should handle situations when employees have concerns about workplace behaviors with elected officials. 

“I don’t know how much you read the Bible, but the Bible tells you how to deal with it,” Loveall responded. 

Loveall went on to ask if someone could give him a “list of bad words” he can’t say and criticized diversity, equity and inclusion policies.

“This DEI thing is over the top,” Loveall said, according to that account. “Words like ‘blessings’ and ‘spinster’ are triggers?”

Mokrohisky asked if any other words are a problem for Loveall. 

“Yes — I called (a female CEO) a ‘stripper,’” Loveall responded, a reference to the earlier complaint. “Her behaviors and gestures are weird. I told (the first employee) about that when she called me. I’m not sure if that changed her mind about me calling her a ‘stripper.’”

‘Kingdom work’

The “stripper” complaint was one of two that surfaced against Loveall in June. In the other one, a different employee complained about Loveall’s use of religious language in the workplace, the email said. 

“A neutral third party spoke with you about your use of religious language in the workplace,” Mokrohisky wrote. “The employee’s request was simply that you respect her desire to not be subjected to religious language in the workplace. It is important to note that this employee struggles with the use of religious language because of her own personal history — a history I believe you were aware of before this incident.”

The email also cited Loveall’s Aug. 21 appearance on the podcast, “Captive Audience,” which features guests and hosts from across Oregon who espouse conservative values.

In that interview, Loveall said he signed a birthday card with a note that said, “Hey, thanks for doing kingdom work. Blessings, Commissioner Loveall.”

A week or two later, Loveall said, he heard from the county’s attorney that the recipient filed a complaint about it with human resources. 

Loveall said in the interview he was surprised that the note would be considered offensive. He also said others are to blame for the problem, not him.

“They’re claiming that they’re doing this because they’re preventing a hostile work environment when in fact they’re creating one,” he said.

Neither Loveall nor Mokrohisky identified the employee who filed the complaint. Mokrohisky, in his note to Loveall, said the YouTube interview disclosed information that previously was protected by attorney-client privilege, including the employee’s concerns. 

“The employee did not escalate this issue,” Mokrohisky wrote. “The county did not escalate this issue. You chose to escalate this issue. Rather than show respect and care for a person who has privately told you that your language is hurtful to them, you chose to go on a podcast and publicly criticized this person.”

Loveall didn’t mention the “stripper” complaint on the podcast, but Mokrohisky mentioned it in the email.

“It is unclear to me why you chose to escalate your use of religious language in the workplace so publicly, but you chose not to disclose calling a female executive a ‘stripper on a strip pole,'” Mokrohisky wrote.

In the podcast, also posted to YouTube, Loveall suggested he is targeted on account of his beliefs and background. 

“Obviously, I am the poster child for evil,” he said. “I’m a white, evangelical conservative male. So, you know, I mean, that’s four strikes against you in a three-strike ball game.’”

‘Loyalty is big with me’

Loveall, a business owner and downtown Springfield developer, was elected to the county commission in 2022, representing District 2, which includes Springfield. 

In January, the five-member commissioner board voted 3-2 to install him as the chair, which puts him in charge of conducting and presiding over meetings. Commissioners Pat Farr and Ryan Ceniga joined Loveall for the three votes to make him chair; Commissioners Heather Buch and Laurie Trieger opposed it. Loveall is up for reelection in 2026.

In his email, Mokrohisky wrote that concerns among staff started shortly after Loveall took office in 2023.

“In those early months, you will recall that there were several concerns raised with you regarding weapons and pets in the workplace, both of which are not allowed for safety reasons, unless your job requires them, such as a law enforcement officer,” Mokrohisky wrote. 

County senior staffers reminded Loveall of those policies, but he remained frustrated, Mokrohisky wrote, adding that such issues are usually resolved with a conversation. 

“You remained defiant about the weapons policy, stating that you have the authority to carry a firearm in the workplace, and you continued to defy the no pets in the workplace policy, despite all other elected and appointed officials in Lane County adhering to these rules,” Mokrohisky wrote. “You blamed the messengers for calling the issues to your attention.”

In the summer of 2023, complaints emerged about Loveall’s interactions with the former county counsel, Erin Pettigrew. An outside investigator validated some of the complaints, Mokrohisky wrote.

As a result, the board conducted two specific training sessions for commissioners on preventing workplace harassment and discrimination, and conflict resolution related to hostile workplace issues, Mokrohisky’s email said. 

“By the end of 2024, the former county counsel had left and the County had to negotiate a settlement to resolve the claims, requiring the County to pay $250,000, in addition to extensive legal fees,” Mokrohisky wrote. 

Mokrohisky noted that he has faced criticism for his handling of complaints about Loveall. 

“In fact, during my performance evaluation in 2024, you were critical of me,” Mokronhisky wrote. “You said: ‘loyalty is big with me,’” Mokrohisky wrote. 

In August, Mokrohisky got his next evaluation. The average rating from the other four commissioners was “exceptional.” Loveall’s rating: “unsuccessful,” the lowest possible. Loveall provided no explanation for the rating.

“I will not stand by and allow dedicated public servants to be demeaned, disrespected, bullied, harassed, nor retaliated against,” Mokrohisky wrote. “Lane County employees and taxpayers deserve better from their leaders.”