Post Falls fires director Young

Post Falls Community Development Director Gary Young was fired Thursday night, yet he said it has nothing to do with what he calls a “bogus” sexual harassment investigation.

Mayor Clay Larkin confirmed Friday that he recommended Young’s termination and the City Council unanimously agreed. City Administrator Eric Keck sent an e-mail to city employees Friday afternoon stating that Young no longer worked for the city. The message included no details.

“That’s as far as I can go,” Larkin said, declining to comment further.

Young, who has worked for the city for more than 15 years, said the council told him he and the city were “going in opposite directions” but cited no specific reason for firing him. Young was an at-will contract employee and said the council needed no cause for termination.

He earned about $82,000 a year and said his contract includes severance pay equaling three months of his salary.

Young said the council on Tuesday gave him a 24-hour deadline to resign or face termination. Because of the holidays, Young requested additional time so he could contact an attorney.

“It appears the answer was, ‘Bah, humbug,’ ” said Young, who plans to hire an attorney.

Young believes his firing has more to do with a personality conflict between himself and the mayor that has developed during the last several months, than with a recent sexual harassment investigation that he said “went nowhere.”

He declined to give details about the investigation or say who made the complaint. “I think it was a bogus situation,” he said.

Larkin declined to say whether there was an investigation.

“We’re in an area now, because of trying to protect an employee’s privacy, I cannot comment one way or another,” he said.

The mayor also wouldn’t characterize his working relationship with Young.

Young said he doesn’t know why his relationship with Larkin soured, yet he said the environment at the city has changed since Keck, the new city administrator, was hired in September.

“Things certainly have been different since Jim Hammond left,” Young said of the previous city administrator, who quit to run for the Idaho Senate. “There’s definitely a new regime at City Hall.”

Young said a housing development that he and his wife are designing in the county off Greensferry Road is another possible point of contention between him and the city. He said some city officials don’t like the notion of the community development director doing a development, even if it’s outside city limits.

Greenridge is a 10-lot “green home” community, meaning that all the houses must meet green building standards for energy efficiency, use of building products made from renewable resources and minimal disruption to the land.

Young said he got interested in sustainable development after working on the new City Hall, which is also a green design.

“I feel the future is in designing construction,” Young said. “I’m excited.”