With the recent release of a detailed report on the charges (14 in all) made by Kimberly Cole against city staff and then Mayor Cooper, you’d think Debi Humann would be feeling pretty good.

After all, 12 of the 14 charges were made against Humann, who was formerly the City of Edmonds Human Resources (HR) Director.

Cooper fired her for what he called a “lack of trust.”

Cole filed suit and made the 14 charges after separation agreements between her and the city were voided by City Council members, charging a “hostile work environment” and claiming “harassment” while on the job.

However, the investigation, conducted by independent investigator Jim Webber, concluded the charges were almost entirely unfounded or lacked merit.

But Humann’s future, despite the investigative findings, is still in limbo.

She was rehired by newly-elected Mayor Dave Earling and reinstated to her old position, but only for a few weeks.

In her absence, the council eliminated the position she had held since 2008. She had been with the city for about 12 years in a number of HR positions.

She is now at home, out of work and applying for jobs.

“It feels pretty good to me, being exonerated by the investigation,” she said.

“Mr. Webber did a good in-depth report.

“I thought the report did a reasonably good job of laying out the facts. It showed I did my job appropriately.”

But that isn’t the end of it for Humann.

“My personality is not to be on the front page of anything,” she said.

“I help people. I miss being able to do my job. And I miss everyone I worked with.”

Humann earlier hired an attorney. Hoping to get her job back, she charged retaliation by Mayor Cooper.

“The next part is to see if they will release a report on my charges of retaliation,” Humann said.

“The city had that investigated, too, but they say there is ‘no report associated with it.’

“What happens next, I don’t know. The process flows and that (the report) is the next step. I’m kind of mystified as to where I am right now.”

Despite all that, Humann remains upbeat.  People continually stop her and speak to her.

“Not a single person has come up to me with anything negative,” she said.

“Everyone is being very supportive. From shopkeepers and people on the street when I’m downtown to emails and phone messages; I could cry when I see the number of people so supportive.”

Humann said this makes it easier to get through. And it’s also a learning experience for future work, wherever that may be.

“Every bit of this I hope I can use on the HR professional side,” she said.

“I know what it’s like on the other side of the fence.

“My job was incredibly important to me.