Opinion ID: 2996154
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Application of the Connick-Pickering Test

Text: Mayor Henry claims that Wainscott’s speech is not protected by the First Amendment. We evaluate whether No. 02-2479 5 an employee’s speech deserves First Amendment protection under the two-part test established in Pickering v. Board of Educ., 391 U.S. 563 (1968) and Connick v. Myers, 461 U.S. 138 (1983). Gonzalez v. City of Chicago, 239 F.3d 939, 940-41 (7th Cir. 2001). This analysis requires us first to determine whether the employee spoke as a citizen upon matters of public concern. Connick v. Myers, 461 U.S. 138, 147 (1983). If the speech addresses a matter of public concern, we will balance the employee’s interest in commenting upon such matters and the employer’s interest in efficient public services. Pickering v. Board of Educ., 391 U.S. 563, 568 (1968). The statement to which we are applying the ConnickPickering test is Wainscott’s remark that “the city administration does not know what it is doing from one day to the next.” The district court found that Wainscott’s statement referring to his mask as “junk” was a personal grievance, not a matter of public concern. Moreover, Wainscott never argued to the district court, nor to this court, that the quality of the mask was a matter of public concern. Thus, we need only consider Wainscott’s statement criticizing the city administration, which the district court found qualified as speech on a matter of public concern. The district court reasoned that this speech would have been protected had it been made by a private citizen rather than a city employee. We now consider whether the district court was correct in its conclusion that the administration’s alleged inefficiency is a matter of public concern.
Our determination of whether Wainscott’s statement dealt with a matter of public concern requires us to consider “the content, form, and context of a given statement as revealed by the whole record.” Connick, 461 U.S. at 6 No. 02-2479 147-48. Of these three elements, content is the most important factor. Yoggerst v. Hedges, 739 F.2d 293, 296 (7th Cir. 1984). We have noted that speech is directed at a matter of public concern if it relates to any matter of “political, social, or other concern to the community.” Kuchenreuther v. City of Milwaukee, 221 F.3d 967, 973 (7th Cir. 2000), quoting Connick, 461 U.S. at 146. A matter is not of public concern if it involves a personal grievance of interest only to the employee. Gustafson v. Jones, 290 F.3d 895, 907 (7th Cir. 2002). Mayor Henry argues that Wainscott’s statement is not protected by the First Amendment because it does not involve matters of public concern. He claims that Wainscott spoke more like a disgruntled employee than a citizen. In addition, he argues that the context and form of the statement reveal that Wainscott was attempting to articulate his personal dissatisfaction for the new city administration since he was no longer the Superintendent of the Department. Whether the city is run in an efficient and effective manner is clearly an important matter of public concern. An employee’s ability to highlight the misuse of public funds or breaches of public trust is a critical weapon in the fight against government corruption and inefficiency. See, e.g., Propst v. Bitzer, 39 F.3d 148, 152 (7th Cir. 1994); Conner v. Reinhard, 847 F.2d 384, 390-91 (7th Cir. 1988). We would be remiss not to protect an employee’s ability to expose such things. In addition, most people would likely have an interest in the possible incompetence of public officials. “Speech that seeks to expose improper operations of the government or questions the integrity of governmental officials clearly concerns vital public interests.” Conaway v. Smith, 853 F.2d 789, 797 (10th Cir. 1988). If the administration was truly running the city in a highly inefficient manner, it would constitute a “ ‘breach of public trust’ which the Court in Connick sugNo. 02-2479 7 gested might qualify for protection.” Breuer v. Hart, 909 F.2d 1035, 1038 (7th Cir. 1990). It is clear from the text of Wainscott’s statement that he did not apprise his audience of shocking revelations or insightful analysis as to why the administration is incompetent. However, it does not matter that the statement at issue was not of “transcendent importance” or consider “the origins of the universe or the merits of a constitutional monarchy.” Dishnow v. School Dist. of Rib Lake, 77 F.3d 194, 197 (7th Cir. 1996). If Wainscott’s statement had been made by a private citizen, it would have been entitled to First Amendment protection. See Khuans v. School Dist. 110, 123 F.3d 1010, 1016 (7th Cir. 1997) (“Public criticism of a government employer’s policies can be protected speech.”). The fact that Wainscott wears the badge of a city employee cannot, in these circumstances, take his statement outside the First Amendment context. This is especially true given the content of his statement. It was a vague remark which revealed no privileged or sensitive information and was made in direct response to a situation evolving before him. David Bennet, the waste disposal employee, had not been given an exact location of where to deliver the dumpster. It appeared to Wainscott that even such a simple task as this could not be properly handled by the city, prompting this remark. Thus, his motivation was to express his displeasure with how the city was handling its day to day affairs. Wainscott, as a taxpayer, had obvious reasons to be concerned that the municipality was being run in an incompetent fashion. The underlying circumstances and the speaker’s motivation both reveal that the statement dealt with a matter of public concern in which Wainscott spoke more like a citizen than a disgruntled employee. The mayor fails to acknowledge this court’s determination that “the content factor is most important” in the Connick inquiry. Yoggerst v. Hedges, 739 F.2d 293, 296 (7th 8 No. 02-2479 Cir. 1984). The mayor gives short shrift to the content of Wainscott’s statement and instead focuses on its context. Animosity in a supervisor-subordinate relationship cannot be the sole basis for characterizing an unflattering statement as a personal grievance. Such a position would suggest that any statement with negative overtones made by an employee would be grounds for dismissal. We cannot accept an argument that could lead to this outcome. We do not dispute that Wainscott’s complaints may have had roots in his negative relationship with Mayor Henry. However, as we noted in Breuer, this alone does not disqualify a speaker from protection. Breuer v. Hart, 909 F.2d 1035, 1039 (7th Cir. 1990). Wainscott himself does not contest that his relationship with the mayor was far from cordial. But to use the nature of this relationship as the basis for the conclusion that this was a statement of personal interest is highly tenuous. An employee’s speech on matters that might otherwise be protected cannot lose protection solely as a result of a history of animosity. For the reasons noted above, we find Wainscott’s statement was addressed to a matter of public concern. We have held that “speaking up on a topic that may be deemed one of public importance does not automatically mean the employee’s statements address a matter of public concern as that term is employed in Connick.” Kokkinis v. Ivkovich, 185 F.3d 840, 844 (7th Cir. 1999). In making this determination, we must look at the point of the speech. Id. Was the point to further some purely private interest? Id. It is clear in the case before us that the purpose of Wainscott’s statement was not to further a private interest. Venting his concerns about the city’s alleged incompetence raises an issue of public concern, not a private interest. The mayor attempts to convey that Wainscott had a personal interest in his remark about the administration No. 02-2479 9 by pointing to his complaint about the “junk” mask. However, these are two separate and distinct statements, one of which is not at issue. While we may consider Wainscott’s comment regarding the mask in the overarching context of the case, we look at his remark about the administration in isolation for purposes of determining whether he was attempting to further a personal interest. Wainscott’s expression did not concern the effect the city’s alleged incompetence had upon him personally. Instead, it was a basic criticism in which he offered no elucidation. As Wainscott notes, other than his interest as a taxpayer, he had no personal or pecuniary interest in the placement of dumpsters, or for that matter, in the management of the city as a whole. Mayor Henry never clearly explains how Wainscott’s statement furthered a personal interest as opposed to raising a matter of public concern. Instead, he relies on conclusory assertions. The ConnickPickering test requires more than just conclusory language. The district court properly found that Wainscott’s speech was not in the form of a personal grievance, but a matter of public concern. 2. Balancing the Employee’s and Employer’s Interests We now consider whether Wainscott’s interest in speaking out about Mayor Henry’s administration can be balanced with the city’s interest in efficient public services. There are four factors that we consider in balancing the employee’s First Amendment interest against the employer’s need to manage the workplace:
maintaining discipline or harmony among co-workers;
which personal loyalty and confidence are necessary; (3) whether the speech impeded the employee’s ability to perform his responsibilities; (4) the time, place and 10 No. 02-2479 manner of the speech; (5) the context in which the underlying dispute arose; (6) whether the matter was one on which debate was vital to informed decision making; and (7) whether the speaker should be re- garded as a member of the general public. Greer v. Amesqua, 212 F.3d 358, 371 (7th Cir. 2000). The proper balance of these competing interests is a question of law. Propst v. Bitzer, 39 F.3d 148, 152 (7th Cir. 1994). Mayor Henry has the burden to show that a governmental interest outweighs Wainscott’s interest in speech. Coady v. Steil, 187 F.3d 727, 732 (7th Cir. 1999). The mayor argues that Wainscott’s statement had the potential to create problems in maintaining discipline and harmony within the Department. In addition, he claims that since Wainscott spoke more as a disgruntled employee and addressed matters regarding the internal operation of the Department, the balancing test favors the employer. Mayor Henry has failed to meet his burden of proof. Wainscott was not in a position which entailed supervisory or managerial duties. While Wainscott may have had some influence over co-workers as the former Superintendent, there was no evidence supporting this proposition. Mayor Henry engages in speculation about the “distinct potential” that problems might arise because of Wainscott’s statement. A public employer has the right to consider the potential disruption of an employee’s speech. Waters v. Churchill, 511 U.S. 661, 677 (1994); Caruso v. DeLuca, 81 F.3d 666, 670-71 (7th Cir. 1996). However, pure speculation is not enough to meet the burden of proof. We acknowledge the Court’s contention that we “look to the facts as the employer reasonably found them to be,” as opposed to what the employee claims occurred. Waters v. Churchill, 511 U.S. 661, 677 (1994). See also Weicherding v. Riegel, 160 F.3d 1139, 1143 (7th Cir. 1998). However, the mayor glosses over the term “reasonNo. 02-2479 11 ably.” Employees periodically criticize the inefficiency of their employer. To suggest the vague criticism that “the city administration does not know what it is doing from one day to the next” made to a single co-worker would spread like wildfire and reek havoc in the Department is, at best, dubious. We are not suggesting that the mayor must show actual disruption before he can carry his burden. In fact, we have noted that a public employer does not have to wait “until those working relationships actually disintegrate if immediate action might prevent such disintegration.” Breuer v. Hart, 909 F.2d 1035, 1040 (7th Cir. 1990); see also Connick, 461 U.S. at 152. However, we fail to see the connection between a generalized statement that lacked any acidity and the potential for a mass uprising. It would take far more than Wainscott’s remark to spark the negative reaction Mayor Henry envisions. The mayor’s reasoning fails to persuade us that a potential threat to discipline or harmony exists in the Department as a result of the words of Wainscott. Mayor Henry concedes that Wainscott’s position did not require personal loyalty and confidence and also admits that the comment had no negative impact on Wainscott’s performance. The mayor contends, however, that the time, place, manner, and context of the speech weigh in favor of the city’s interest of promoting the efficiency of its public services. He points out that Wainscott made the statement at a job site, during working hours, and in the midst of a personal dispute with Mayor Henry. He argues that Wainscott made his remark at an inappropriate time and in an inappropriate place. In considering the content and context of the speech, we look at whether the employee could have spoke in a fashion which would have resulted in less turmoil and confusion. Myers v. Hasara, 226 F.3d 821, 828 (7th Cir. 2000). As we have noted, Wainscott’s statement was exceedingly bland and made in an offhand manner to three other people, only one 12 No. 02-2479 of whom was a fellow employee. We do not see how Wainscott’s statement could cause turmoil or confusion in these circumstances. Given the time, place, and content of the statement, we cannot conclude that the speech would affect the ongoing work of Department employees. Accordingly, we find that a substantial majority of the factors of the Pickering balancing test weigh in favor of Wainscott’s interest in commenting upon the Henry administration. The mayor, in his argument, is asking us essentially, to give a governmental entity the right to terminate employees if they criticize their employer. This runs counter to the most basic understandings of the First Amendment. Employees of governmental entities generally should be able to complain or criticize; it highlights inefficiencies and promotes a more effective system of government. For these reasons, we find Mayor Henry violated Jack Wainscott’s First Amendment right to freedom of speech when he terminated his employment with the city.