The Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency's Board of Directors once again punted on a contract extension for Executive Director and CEO Grace Gallucci Friday.
The decision came days after the board said it received a letter signed anonymously by 22 current and former members of NOACA's staff alleging a toxic workplace under Gallucci, who manages the agency responsible for coordinating governments and organizations in the Greater Cleveland metropolitan area.
The letter alleges high staff turnover during Gallucci's tenure — 38 resignations since 2018 — and raises concerns about Gallucci's frequent travel out of state to teach a college course in Chicago. The letter says these issues directly weakened the tax-payer-funded agency.
"The problems stem from her poor leadership," the letter obtained by Ideastream said. "If the board wants to see NOACA become a healthy organization that operates with integrity, then Grace Gallucci's contract should NOT be extended."
Gallucci pushed back on those allegations Friday in an interview with Ideastream. She said she has not yet seen the letter, but said based on what she's heard, the allegations are "false and defamatory."
The board is considering a proposed contract renewal, a three-year extension with a potential one-year renewal. The proposal also includes a 5% salary increase, raising Gallucci's total compensation to $291,679. Lake County Commissioner John Hamercheck says this would close the gap between herself and male counterparts in similar positions.
Last month, the board voted to postpone the vote on the contract renewal to give them more time to review materials. At that time, Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne butted heads with Hamercheck after Ronayne said he did not recommend contract renewal due to what he called an "obviously flawed" contract renewal process.
