The head of a local non-profit agency set up to give loans to Rainier Valley businesses impacted by Sound Transit Light Rail construction was suspended and then resigned from her job after writing a profanity-laced letter to a business owner.

Jessie Jones, owner of the Vision of Beauty salon in South Seattle, had been fighting to get a loan from the Rainier Valley Community Development Fund to help her business.

The Rainier Valley Community Development Fund’s denied her request for a loan, which she appealed.

After her appeal, the board sent her a letter explaining why her application had been denied, apologizing for any frustration she may have felt during the process.

LETTERS Letter Received In Mail [pdf] Internal Letter [pdf] Apology Letter [pdf] Statement From Board {pdf}

What Jones didn’t know was that a second letter was written and distributed within the fund’s office as a joke. It was written by fund Executive Director Martina Guilfoil, and contained some startling language.

"I want to tell you that you that you are one crazy-ass bitch," Guilfoil wrote in the letter. "It was a complete waste of time for you to come before the board, though it did provide us with some comic relief."

The mocking letter was later sent to Jones anonymously.

"I was very hurt, very despondent," Jones told KIRO 7 Eyewitness News reporter Karen O’Leary. "I couldn’t imagine anyone in their right mind would write something like that on paper."

Initially, Guilfoil only received a verbal reprimand for writing the letter, but after the letter got out earlier this month, the development fund board suspended Guilfoil for one week without pay.

Rainier Valley Community Development Fund Chair Joshua Williams tells KIRO 7 the letter was “totally unacceptable” and “did not reflect the values of the community development fund.”

The board was investigating Guilfoil for professional misconduct when she resigned on Aug. 29.

A statement from the board said "Guilfoil allowed that she would be unable to effectively represent and lead the CDF in light of her actions, and the impact they have had on our community." Read full statement {pdf}