Under Fire, Planner Quits County Job Commissioners Agree To Give Grimes More Than $16,000 In Paid Leave

Spokane County’s top land-use planner has resigned rather than be fired, but she will continue drawing pay for another three weeks.

County commissioners accepted a letter of resignation from Assistant Planning Director Laurie Grimes earlier this week. County Administrator Francine Boxer had told Grimes last week that she’d be fired if she didn’t quit.

Grimes has been on paid administrative leave since Nov. 11 when commissioners launched an investigation into her conduct. Since then, she has collected nearly $13,000. By the time the paychecks stop Feb. 16, she will have earned more than $16,000 since she last worked.

Commissioner Phil Harris said the agreement requires Grimes to be available to answer any questions that might arise about her old job.

“She’s on call and has to be available by phone,” he said.

Grimes declined to comment.

She is the second county employee in recent months to receive weeks of pay during investigations that eventually led to termination. Risk Manager Claude Cox, who stayed home more than two months before commissioners decided to fire him, was paid about $11,000.

Grimes was under investigation to determine whether she inappropriately had altered county documents.

The investigation turned up no proof that documents had been changed, but Grimes showed “poor judgment” in dealings with a Five Mile Prairie neighborhood group, Boxer said.

The neighborhood group, which was fighting development of a mobile home park, apparently knew about administrative decisions regarding the park before those decisions became part of the public record.

In addition, Grimes made improper use of the county’s electronic mail system for intimate conversations with Dennis Scott, the public works director at the time. Scott since has been fired, primarily for mismanagement, although commissioners noted that he also misused e-mail.

Grimes and Scott, who were having an affair, were planning a reorganization that could have resulted in a promotion for Grimes.

The plan disintegrated when Grimes’ boss, Jim Manson, learned of the reorganization, which could have meant a demotion for him. Manson, the director of building and planning, started monitoring Grimes’ e-mail and reported the affair to commissioners.

Commissioners were reviewing the relationship between Grimes and Scott when they found an e-mail message from Grimes to a Five Mile activist, asking that an earlier message be destroyed to “keep me from being fired.” That statement led to the investigation, but county officials never recovered the original message referred to in the document, Boxer said.

Once she determined Grimes had broken no laws, Boxer said she set out to determine whether Grimes could still be an effective manager. As part of that inquiry, Boxer asked planners who worked for Grimes to complete a six-page anonymous survey about the department.

Among other things, they were asked whether Grimes’ return would be positive or negative. Most respondents praised Grimes’ past work but said they no longer respected her, Boxer said, adding that the survey results played only a small part in her decision to fire Grimes.

Boxer said the long period of paid leave was necessary for a thorough investigation. She said she recommended the severance package - and commissioners approved it - to give Grimes an opportunity to find another job.

“Given all the circumstances, the board felt it was appropriate,” Commissioner Kate McCaslin said.

Commissioner John Roskelley noted that Grimes had received consistently good employee evaluations.

Boxer said this isn’t the first time the county has offered a severance package to a planner forced into unemployment. In 1995, commissioners gave three months’ pay - amounting to a total of $62,200 - to three planners who lost their jobs.

Although those planners complained they were being punished for not bowing to developers, commissioners said it was not a disciplinary action, but a reorganization of the department. Two of the men since have been rehired, and the third is suing the county.

The planners fired in 1995 had 50 years’ experience between them. Grimes has worked for the county for two years.

This sidebar appeared with the story: PAID LEAVE Laurie Grimes has been on paid administrative leave since Nov. 11 when an investigation was launched into her conduct. By the time her paychecks stop Feb. 16, she will have earned more than $16,000 since she last worked.