In brief: Ex-county official starts new city job
Spokane County’s No. 2 administrator started work Monday as the city of Spokane’s assistant public works director.
Gerry Gemmill, 52, started working for the county in 1975 as a road laborer and retired last month as operations director, the top official under the county’s CEO.
Spokane’s assistant public works director position has been vacant since 2006.
Gemmill has a public policy bachelor’s degree from Whitworth University and a master’s in public administration from Eastern Washington University.
He will earn about $112,000 a year.
Last month, the Spokane City Council increased the pay for the position by about $11,000 in response to an earlier salary increase for the public works director.
Human Resources Director Dave Chandler said the city tries to maintain about an 18 percent gap between the top leader in a department and the deputy.
Seattle
Ladenburg opens attorney general bid
John Ladenburg has kicked off his campaign for state attorney general at a fundraiser in Seattle.
Monday’s $50-a-plate luncheon was attended by some of the state’s top Democrats, including Gov. Chris Gregoire, who endorsed Ladenburg as the “people’s advocate.”
Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels hosted the event, which was also attended by House Speaker Frank Chopp of Seattle, King County Executive Ron Sims, former Gov. Gary Locke and Rep. Jim McDermott.
Ladenburg is the Pierce County executive and a former county prosecutor. Attorney General Rob McKenna, a Republican, is expected to seek re-election.
THE DALLES, Ore.
Anglers accused of fishing scam
Oregon State Police cited two men from The Dalles on accusations they took illegal steps to capitalize on a program that pays anglers to catch a predator that thrives on juvenile salmon.
Troopers with OSP’s Fish and Wildlife Division cited Reggie Dawson, 56, and John Brown, 46, on charges of attempted theft by deception and unlawful holding of fish without a permit.
The Northern Pikeminnow Sport Reward Fishery program pays from $4 to $8 for each of the predators delivered to stations along the Columbia River. Anglers must catch the fish by legal methods and only get paid for pikeminnow they land after registering for a day of fishing.
On Saturday, police served a search warrant on a boathouse at The Dalles Marina and found 88 live Northern Pikeminnow in a trap.
Police say Dawson rented the boathouse and allege he and Brown each caught roughly half the trapped fish.