Community Action Council leader placed on administrative leave amid harassment suit

The executive director of one of Lexington’s largest nonprofit agencies has been placed on administrative leave after being sued by an employee for alleged sexual harassment in Fayette Circuit Court.

In a statement released Tuesday afternoon, the Community Action Council of Lexington-Fayette, Bourbon, Harrison and Nicholas Counties confirmed that Executive Director Malcolm Ratchford “is currently on administrative leave.”

Ratchford was placed on administrative leave during a specially-called board meeting Monday. The Herald-Leader published a story Monday morning about the allegations against Ratchford, which are contained in an Oct. 4 lawsuit filed against him and the agency by employee Marbel Bocalandro Gastell.

The full board of the Community Action Council is expected to meet Oct. 22.

The lawsuit also accused the agency of creating a hostile work environment and retaliating against her after she reported Ratchford.

A lawyer for Community Action Council declined to comment on the merits of the lawsuit Monday, but in its Tuesday statement the agency said it fully investigates all sexual harassment allegations.

“Community Action Council takes all allegations of sexual harassment seriously. All reported incidents are and have been investigated and handled with care, diligence and impartiality for those who are reporting them, as well as the accused.”

Gastell alleged in the lawsuit that Ratchford had repeatedly made sexually suggestive comments to her and demanded that she travel to out-of state conferences with him. After Gastell reported Ratchford, she was transferred to a different job and denied a pay raise, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit also alleges other employees at Community Action Council had previously had issues with Ratchford’s behavior. Gastell still works at Community Action Council.

In the statement, the Community Action Council said “many of the claims in the Oct. 4 lawsuit about the agency’s response are inaccurate and many facts and circumstances are omitted or misconstrued.”

Those concerns will be addressed in court, the statement said.

The Community Action Council has an annual budget of more than $26 million and employs more than 270 people, according to its website. It serves more than 31,000 people in Fayette, Bourbon, Harrison and Nicholas counties and oversees many federal, state and local anti-poverty programs, including emergency food and shelter programs and assistance with paying electricity and other utility bills.

This story was originally published October 16, 2018 at 5:31 PM.