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<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Sunday, November 8, 2009 Snohomish County's former sanitation director claims his ouster was forced By Noah Haglund Herald Writer EVERETT — Snohomish County's former sanitation chief has filed a lawsuit accusing the county of unjustly forcing him to resign last year. The suit maintains that solid-waste director Sam Chandler was ousted because he tried to keep a closer watch on employees and the cash they handled. The complaint filed last week in Snohomish County Superior Court follows an unsettled claim from several months ago. “Sam Chandler was terminated from his employment or asked to involuntarily resign because of his efforts to bring reforms to the solid-waste division,” said his attorney, Todd Nichols of Everett. Chandler headed solid waste from July 2006 until October of last year. He oversaw 160 employees. He said he started changing things right away, by thoroughly counting cash at scale houses, installing global positioning systems in trucks and closely watching how employees used their time. In 2007, Chandler reported that six solid-waste supervisors were giving false information to managers to justify taking county vehicles home. A campaign of intimidation and harassment started after Chandler reported this to his boss, public works director Steve Thomsen, the lawsuit says. In late October 2008, Thomsen asked Chandler to resign, telling him he would be fired otherwise, according to the suit. The suit names Thomsen as a defendant along with the county. Chandler now works in a similar position in Merced County, Calif. His old job in Snohomish County is held by Matt Zybas, who had been a manager under Chandler. The suit was filed Wednesday. It says Chandler suffered emotional distress and damage to his reputation, as well as lost income, benefits and job opportunities. It also claims that Chandler's civil rights were violated because he couldn't speak out about the fraud he uncovered. The Superior Court complaint asks for damages to be decided at trial. County attorneys denied any wrongdoing when responding to the early claim, but could not be reached about the lawsuit. Noah Haglund: 425-339-3465, nhaglund@heraldnet.com. READER COMMENTS Be the first to comment. You must be a registered user and verify your e-mail address to post comments to blogs or articles on HeraldNet. To register, click here. To read other terms and conditions, click here. Log out

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