Attorney May Lose This Fight Afflicted Deputy Prosecutor Faces Layoff At Year’s End

A Spokane County deputy civil prosecutor who overcame the rare neurological disorder Tourette syndrome could not win the battle of the budget.

Garald Gesinger, 52, who has spent more than half his life as a county lawyer, is scheduled to be laid off at year’s end.

County commissioners intervened late Tuesday and offered to restore $45,000 to Prosecutor Jim Sweetser’s budget if Gesinger was willing to take a substantial pay cut.

“Garald’s worth saving,” Commissioner Steve Hasson said. “He’s an inspiration to all of us. If he (Sweetser) is doing this to save a few bucks, then dammit we’ll find the bucks for him.”

Gesinger now earns $62,134 a year plus $15,484 in benefits.

Chief civil deputy Jim Emacio said the offer of a pay cut was extended to Gesinger late Tuesday.

Gesinger indicated he’ll make his decision today, Emacio said.

Sweetser bemoaned 1996 budget cuts totaling $129,000 in his office and said he had no other source to tap for savings other than Gesinger’s job. He welcomed any offer from commissioners.

With a record county crime wave that has raised the number of trials 30 percent, to 130 this year, Sweetser said his criminal budget is untouchable.

He said Gesinger is the least productive of the six civil attorneys.

“I hate to be in this position,” Sweetser said. “These types of things are what make you lose sleep at night.”

If Gesinger leaves county employment, he would receive 16 weeks of severance pay.

Gesinger is a Spokane native who graduated from Gonzaga Law School in 1968 and was associate editor of the Gonzaga Law Review. He joined the county government the following year.

He took the career news with the optimism characteristic of a person used to long odds.

“There are two things you can do with unsettling news,” Gesinger said. “You can make the best of it - make lemonade out of lemons - or react negatively.”

While Gesinger worked a variety of jobs in the prosecutor’s office early on, the bulk of his career has been spent on the civil side.

Most recently, he advised the freeholders who crafted a combined city-county government charter. He now enforces county ordinances and advises the assessor and treasurer.

Gesinger is one of the country’s estimated 100,000 to 200,000 people with full-blown Tourette syndrome, named for a French neurologist.

The disorder begins in childhood and usually is incurable. It is characterized by uncontrollable tics and grunts that often represent muffled obscenities.

Gesinger’s colleagues have marveled at his ability to concentrate in the courtroom and often mask his disorder. In other venues, he said he relies on the understanding of his co-workers.

“The only people who have given me cause of consternation are people who are ignorant of the disorder,” Gesinger said.

County commissioners on Monday finalized the 1996 general fund budget at $84,046,993.

Most departments were cut 3.5 percent across the board. The sheriff’s department and jail were the exception and received a total of 21 new positions to cope with a wave of violence.

, DataTimes