Spokane disciplines planning director

Spokane County commissioners gave their building and planning director a “letter of correction” Tuesday for authorizing a day-care center in an airport crash zone, granting a zone change by redrawing a map and failing to deal with subordinates’ questionable conduct.

The two-page letter directed department head Jim Manson to address problems identified in planner Bruce Hunt’s “whistle-blower” complaint and report back to commissioners.

“I think the board treated me fairly,” Manson said when he emerged from a closed-door session with commissioners. “We discussed all the issues, and I’m satisfied with the conclusion. …

“I agree with the board in the direction they would like to take.”

Manson said he didn’t consider the board’s letter a reprimand, although it states that that his day-care and zone-change actions were “inappropriate.”

The letter also says the board believes Manson “should have been aware of and addressed” a situation in which two of three assistant directors approved construction plans for the third assistant director. Subordinates had refused to approve the plans on grounds they would violate the zoning code.

Commissioners also told Manson they expect him to consult with the attorney assigned to his department in situations calling for an interpretation “beyond clearly established past practice,” where staff members disagree on legal interpretations, when an issue involves an employee’s property and “where one could reasonably anticipate a heightened public interest in the process and/or outcome.”

Commissioners Mark Richard and Todd Mielke issued the letter without the support of Commissioner Bonnie Mager.

She left Thursday’s late afternoon meeting quickly to attend a family birthday party. Later, in an e-mail, she said the letter of correction “hardly constitutes more than a tiny slap on the hand … and will further undermine community confidence in county government.”

Mager said the independent committee that investigated the whistle-blower complaint was thorough and its conclusions were clear: abuse of authority in at least three of the seven complaints.

While it was commendable for Commissioner Richard to hold himself and the previous board accountable for setting a certain “tone,” Mager said, it did not absolve those named in the complaint from their actions.

Richard said he prefers to address broader departmental problems – “just the dysfunction between building and planning that has been going on for years” – separately from the incidents Manson mishandled.

There has been a culture clash between planners and building inspectors since their departments were combined in 1995, but Richard said he believes the two groups can get along “with stronger leadership on our part.”

Richard said commissioners directed county Operations Manager Gerry Gemmill to address the troubled relationship between building inspectors and planners and give commissioners some options.

“I don’t know that that will lead to a reorganization, but we are committed to looking at ways of improving the internal communication and, of course, the customer service that follows from it,” Richard said.

He confirmed that there has been some ambiguity about whether Manson reports to Gemmill or directly to commissioners. Even Gemmill has said so, Richard said.

“I thought that was a bit tongue-in-cheek,” Richard said of Gemmill’s perceived lack of authority over Manson, “perhaps reflective of (Manson’s) relationship with (former County Commissioner) Phil Harris.”

Some of Manson’s subordinates say Harris was such a frequent visitor in their department that they joked he should have his own cubicle.

Richard said he plans to make it clear that Manson reports to Gemmill.