DENVER — The head of hiring and discipline for Denver's Public Safety Department just accused her boss of gender discrimination.
Mary Dulacki said she was kept in the dark about job openings and demoted to make way for a less experienced male.
On Monday, she filed a complaint with Colorado’s Civil Rights Division against the city and Public Safety Executive Director Armando Saldate III.
“It's basically a request to the state of Colorado to investigate allegations of discrimination,” Paula Greisen, Dulacki’s attorney, said.
As part of the public safety leadership team, Dulacki is responsible for the hiring and discipline of police officers and firefighters.
The four-page complaint spells out claims by Dulacki:
- She was demoted in title from “Chief Executive Deputy Director” to “Chief Compliance Officer.”
- She and “several other female executives” were not informed about a “Deputy Manager” job posting in violation of city personnel rules requiring all eligible internal candidates to be informed.
- She learned of a job opening when she saw a candidate interview on Saldate’s calendar.
- She complained to the city attorney’s office that she was demoted in title, had no opportunity to apply for an internal job opportunity and saw a “less-experienced man, was now paid significantly more than her despite pay equity laws and her seniority.”
“She's asking questions," Greisen said. "Why am I being paid less? Why am I not being told about these promotional opportunities? Mary Dulacki did, again, what I think a lot of women try to do, try to address this privately.”
The complaint claims that Dulacki did not receive a substantive response from the city attorney’s office.
On Monday, a spokeswoman for that office told 9News “We do not comment on pending legal matters.”
A spokeswoman with the Department of Public Safety said the department had not received a copy of the complaint.
A spokeswoman for Denver Mayor Mike Johnston said she cannot comment on specific complaints in front of the city, nor knew the specifics of this case, but in a brief statement said, “Mayor Johnston and his administration are committed to ensuring the city and county of Denver embodies the diversity of our city and lives its value of equity. That is why he made it a priority to hire a diverse and representative group of agency heads and works closely with agencies to create opportunity and growth for city employees.”
“I have not talked directly with the mayor, but he's put the people in charge to carry out his vision, and that's not happening,” Greisen said. “This administration ran on a platform of equity and inclusion. That's not just a campaign promise, that's the law.”
Greisen also represents former Aurora Police Chief Vanessa Wilson in a lawsuit claiming she was fired without cause.
She also represented Denver Police Commander Magen Dodge in a now-settled 2019 gender discrimination complaint against the police department.
“Not my first rodeo,” Greisen said. “In the past 30-plus years I've done more gender discrimination cases than I ever hoped to do.”
Under the “damages” portion of Dulacki’s complaint, it states “she has suffered emotional distress and economic damages,” but Greisen would not say, specifically, what they are seeking.
“That's why we're asking the state to make that investigation,” Greisen said. “I bring the problems and tell employers, like the city and county of Denver, to fix the problem and fix it in a meaningful way.”