Detroit Department of Transportation Chief of Staff Jennie Whitfield was fired Friday, a week after Metro Times reported that she was accused of showing up drunk at the Rosa Parks Transit Center, berating employees, assaulting a security guard, and chasing a pigeon through the building.
Whitfield’s departure was announced internally by DDOT Director Robert Cramer, who wrote in an email to management staff that “Chief of Staff Jennie Whitfield is no longer at DDOT, effective today.”
The firing comes after Metro Times uncovered allegations that Whitfield arrived at the transit center shortly before midnight on Jan. 23 in a city-issued vehicle, appeared intoxicated, verbally abused security guards, and nearly fell from a balcony while attempting to chase a bird with a bottle of water. Security guards and employees said the incident was captured on surveillance cameras, though the footage was later deleted after the system’s 30-day retention period expired.
While Whitfield has now been dismissed, the whistleblower who brought the incident forward remains suspended and faces possible termination.
Corie Holmes, DDOT’s chief safety officer, was suspended for 30 days with a recommendation that he be fired shortly after Metro Times began asking questions about Whitfield earlier this month. Holmes oversees the agency’s safety management system and is responsible for ensuring DDOT complies with federal transit safety standards.
According to disciplinary documents, Cramer accused Holmes of exceeding his authority by collecting written statements from security guards about the Jan. 23 incident. Holmes says he has every right to blow the whistle on employee safety concerns.
“The disciplinary action stems from my collection of written statements from members of the security staff who reported concerning behavior,” Holmes wrote in a March 6 complaint to the city’s compliance office. “As Chief Safety Officer, I have a duty to ensure that reports of unsafe conduct or potential threats to employee safety are documented and escalated appropriately.”
Holmes filed a formal Equal Employment Opportunity complaint on March 10, arguing that the discipline appears to be retaliation for reporting the allegations against Whitfield.
He also cited a 2014 executive order issued by then-Mayor Mike Duggan establishing a zero-tolerance policy for workplace violence and explicitly stating that employees who make good-faith reports or assist in investigations cannot be retaliated against.
The order states that “no person shall be retaliated against for having made a good faith report or complaint or for participating in, or aiding an investigation of, an incident or threat of violence in the workplace.”
Despite Whitfield’s firing, it remains unclear whether Holmes will be reinstated or whether the investigation into his conduct will continue.
It’s also unclear whether new Mayor Mary Sheffield got involved, but Human Resources Director Denise Starr said it was ultimately the decision of her department and DDOT. Â
“This was a personnel decision made by Executive Director of Transit Robert Cramer in conjunction with HR,” Starr said in a statement to Metro Times.Â
The incident has raised broader questions about leadership and accountability at the troubled transit agency, which has faced repeated criticism over discipline, employee morale, and management decisions. In December, the Detroit Office of Inspector General found that senior DDOT officials abused their authority by shielding employees who disrupted bus service by having “a romantic interaction,” abandoned a running city bus, and violated workplace rules.