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 FRIDAY, MARCH 12, 2010 2:31 pm |
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Local News 
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County Council increases scrutiny on Reardon The County Council is stepping beyond its usual legislative role to watch the work of the county executive. EVERETT — Questions about Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon's management of key departments has caused the County Council to depart from its traditional role of crafting legislation.Now, they're looking over the shoulder of the county's chief administrator and starting to check up on his work. A $50,000 performance audit underway will review how well one department handles the county's computer and printing needs. The council also is keeping tabs on a $12,000 review of harassment and discrimination complaints that Reardon requested. “I think the actions have all been responses to concerns that we felt,” Council Chairman Dave Gossett said. The council also remains troubled, as in years past, by what it maintains is a lack of communication between Reardon and other elected officials. “When there's an air of secrecy, it makes for lack of trust and inefficiencies,” Councilman Brian Sullivan said. Elected leaders “don't have to be friends, but they have to meet, communicate and solve problems.” Ask Reardon, and he doesn't view any of the recent moves by the council as challenging his authority or weakening it. He ordered the harassment complaint review himself, and says he supports the technology department audit. He's just glad that councilmen suggested, in a note attached to the 2010 budget, that it is time to look at rearranging county government. That's something Reardon said he's been pushing for since won his first term in 2003. “I've advocated for six years for efficiencies at the county,” Reardon said. “A restructuring and a makeover of this county is needed, and it will be a top issue going forward. We need to make sure we deal with that in an adultlike manner that meets the needs of the citizens of this county.” Some on the council see their oversight as necessary to help safeguard the county against lawsuits. Reforming the way the county handles workplace complaints, for example, or how it stores public records may be key to protecting taxpayers, Councilman John Koster said. “You have a fiduciary responsibility to make sure the county doesn't get into a position where it's being litigated against,” Koster said. “If there are concerns that things aren't efficient as they should be, maybe the council should involve itself.” At least two pending lawsuits now allege the county mishandled complaints of sexual harassment that female jail employees said they were subjected to by male supervisors. The county also is facing a $500,000 claim for damages from the planning department's former human-resources manager. Debbie McPherson said she and others in the office were subject to sexual harassment and other forms of discrimination. McPherson said she also filed a complaint with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Her sexual-harassment claims, and other complaints from planning department employees, surfaced before the department's former director, Craig Ladiser, was fired in August for drunkenly exposing his genitals to a woman during a building-industry golf tournament. Changes coming? Audit findings might lead the County Council to move the $21.6 million department of information services away from Reardon's control. One suggestion is to move it into the Auditor's Office, which is responsible for maintaining much of the county's legal paperwork, including property deeds, election results and marriage certificates. Reardon said no elected officials told him of any problems with information services, and he only learned of this proposal when it came up during the budget process last fall. Treasurer Kirke Sievers, a former county councilman, said he had long been frustrated with information services. Now, the specter of moving the department away from Reardon seems to have gotten somebody's attention. “It sure seems strange that now that we have the auditor involved, they're very responsive to our needs,” Sievers said. Sullivan, who suggested the move, said having computer systems under the auditor, a nonpartisan elected official, was preferable to having it under a Democrat or Republican. The auditor is responsible for overseeing elections. Other reasons for rearranging how county government is managed may be purely economic. Reshuffling departments and responsibilities will affect how Snohomish County manages a 2,700-member work force and a current overall annual budget of $767 million. It also helps guide the county toward a smaller future as annexations move revenues and responsibilities to cities. Shrinking revenues were on County Councilman Mike Cooper's mind when he and his colleagues, in a note on the 2010 budget, asked for all county departments to convene a work group to consider restructuring. “It was a good time to take a fresh look given that we were going to have to be a smaller, leaner government,” Cooper said. “The big issue for me was not taking things away from the executive, but a recognition that we need to be a leaner, meaner government because annexations are taking things away from county government.” Similar changes are taking place throughout Washington. “It's a really common trend right now to try to squeeze and find efficiencies,” said Eric Johnson, executive director of the Washington State Association of Counties. “The easy ones have been done years ago, so now we're starting to deal with some of the more complex ones.” Reardon's office has suggested a move of parks maintenance to the county facilities department. Sullivan has suggested moving Snohomish County's diminished planning department, which has shrunk to less than a third of its former building-boom size. He'd place it under the public works department. A huge shift in the county took place a year ago, when the jail moved to Sheriff John Lovick's control from under Reardon's office. Reardon said he not only supported the change, which came up during the county charter review in 2006, but pushed it for years before the council acted. Under Lovick's leadership, jail employees and administrators report better labor relations, less overtime and a general morale boost. “We don't care about turf battles,” executive director Brian Parry wrote in an e-mailed response to questions. “We care about providing services in the most efficient, effective manner possible. If changes are researched and can be shown to save taxpayer dollars, we are all for them — but failing to analyze changes and gambling with services and tax dollars is not an option.” Political tension Tension has frequently existed between Reardon, a Democrat, and previous configurations of the County Council during his six years in office. Gary Nelson, a Republican councilman who retired in 2007 after serving three terms, blamed strained relationships on how Reardon's office was managed. “It certainly goes well beyond the political differences,” Nelson said. “It goes right to the core of directives and decision-making.” Still, Nelson cautioned against moving departments away from the county executive for those reasons alone. “Those studies that are done need to be taken seriously by the County Council,” he said. “Not only with regard to how efficient (county departments) might be, but also with regard to the long-term services.” Noah Haglund: 425-339-3465, nhaglund@heraldnet.com. |
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COMMENTS
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I haven't voted for an incumbant in years. Reading some of these posts it is very apparent they vote strictly on the letter after the name. You have no business voting in my book. That is why we have had Murray and Cantwell year after year. Give them 4 years, thats it. No more retirements for public servants. Then we will see who really wants to serve.
What happened to Gregiorie's rainy day fund? Think about it, but yet you all will vote her back in, just because of a D behind the name.
Ray Becraft | Feb 3, 2010 11:39 am | 0 replies | Request removal
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Gary Nelson comments regarding the need for caution is valid.
The County rules call for major changes to be done every ten years as part of the Charter Review Commission where all the ideas are debated and the best ideas are voted upon by all of us. It is supposed to be bigger than politics and definitely bigger than Council and Executive Branch politics.
For the council, I was always amazed why the County built such a large annex when annexations would limit the size of the government since there would be less land. I'm glad the current council realizes that the County won't be so big in the future.
Too bad the building was built and sitting pretty empty as well as the former county offices in the downtown area. Just saying.
ted trepanier | Feb 2, 2010 1:31 pm | 0 replies | Request removal
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Mr. Reardon will be running for the highest office in the state soon enough.
Mr. Fuzzypugnutz | Feb 2, 2010 8:51 am | 1 replies | Request removal
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You've got to be out of your mind. If your not, you should join the Republican party.
Anthony Vicari | Feb 02, 2010 12:45 pm | Request removal
Mr Reardon is an executive of Reardon, by Reardon, for Reardon. The agencies under his control are completely out of control. When you ask his office for help, as a citizen who has never donated any money to any of his campaign, you will not be givne the time of day.
It does not matter whether you are far right wing, far right left wing or a conservadem in the middle, we deserve a honest an honest leader and in Executive Reardon we do not have that.
For the record, I am proud to be a conservadem or liberalcan, someone in the middle. We are equal opportunity bashers.
George Schlosser | Feb 2, 2010 8:57 am | 0 replies | Request removal
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Thank you to Anthony and Walter for your well thought out arguments. I hoped to find the true meaning behind these contrived articles. Knowingly or not you provided the answer. Reardon is a "Conservadem" so it is justifiable to waste county resources falsely attacking the "peoples elected leader" and trying to tear the person down because he's not YOUR kind of Democrat. That is pathetic boys. My 12 y/0 grandson didn't make first string forward on his basketball team either. Instead of telling him to work hard and try again I should just follow your advice and tell him to slander and undermine his teammate and see if that works instead. Me and my neighbors won't forget this schoolyard behavior in Nov. We will be voting to keep our Executive and for a NEW council member.
Dana White | Feb 2, 2010 8:29 am | 0 replies | Request removal
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Snohomish County Democrats must avoid nominating conservadems like Reardon. The council should increase their scrutiny of him. As a liberal Democrat, I am ashamed of my party for nominating this pathetic opportunist! It would be refreshing if we would nominate a candidate who had leadership qualities.
Anthony Vicari | Feb 2, 2010 8:00 am | 0 replies | Request removal
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With all due respect to the previous writer.
So was George Bush and you see where that got us. The people make mistakes.
walter Lasher | Feb 2, 2010 7:50 am | 0 replies | Request removal
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You voted them in we will vote them out, The new change will be short lived, Tea anyone?
camano kid | Feb 2, 2010 7:49 am | 0 replies | Request removal
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It is time for members of the council to either run for county executive or move on altogether. These articles do nothing more than show the seathing jealousy of county councilmembers towards our elected executive. News Flash - reardon is OUR elected executive. Our vote count. They can't disregard the peoples will. I've not always agreed with his political positions (FCC-mini cities), but I can't think of a more competent manager in the state. For years, the council complained about reardon's conservative spending controls and performance standards. Now, all of a sudden he's too laid back? I smell petty politics. Also, as a resident and voter for over 20 years in Snohomish County, I voted against Brian Sullivan As Mayor of Mukilteo before I moved to Lynnwood. He ruined our city. When he ran for the legislator the entire city council opposed him. Guess it goes to show people have short memories.
Dana White | Feb 2, 2010 5:40 am | 0 replies | Request removal
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