Britt police chief sues city, mayor, alleging same-sex harassment

BRITT — The Britt police chief is suing the City of Britt and its mayor, alleging same-sex harassment for a number of years by the mayor and a councilman via the use of sexually explicit electronic messages.

Chief Mark Anderson states in the complaint that from 2017 until now, Mayor Ryan Arndorfer and city councilman Chad Luecht sent inappropriate and sexually graphic messages using a private text group. Anderson says he asked them to stop messaging, but that was followed by more harassment and retaliation through criticism and limitations in pay raises.

Anderson married his husband in 2020, and he says Arndorfer and Luecht asked for nude photos of one or both of them. Anderson declined, with Arndorfer allegedly threatening him with pay raise limitations and resource reductions for the police department.

Anderson says he went to the city administrator as an intervention measure, with Luecht ending the illicit texts and messaging.

In 2021, Anderson says he received a lesser raise in pay than the other officers in the police department, alleging it was in retaliation for not cooperating with Arndorfer and Luecht.

Anderson is suing the city and Arndorfer for discrimination and harassment based on sex and sexual orientation along with retaliation in violation of the Iowa Civil Rights Act.