SNOHOMISH – No official complaints were filed against former Police Chief Rob Sofie during his nearly six-year stint, the city’s response to a public disclosure request filed by The Herald shows.
Records indicate that during his employment, Sofie’s salary increased from $63,600 to $83,712 a year. And the police department’s annual budget went up about $423,000 to $2.68 million between 2000 and 2004.
Sofie’s boss, city manager Larry Bauman, said earlier that the former police chief’s severance package includes his monthly salary of $6,976 for six months.
That means Sofie was not terminated for conviction of a felony, or for any act of embezzlement, dishonesty or theft, which would have excluded him from termination pay under the contract signed between Sofie and former city manager William McDonald.
Under the contract, six months’ pay is the most Sofie could receive for a termination without cause.
While no complaints were filed, some business owners said Sofie’s leadership made the department less friendly to citizens.
And in an e-mail obtained by The Herald, a resident complained about vandalism, smoking and drugs at the city’s skate park.
In his e-mail to Sofie, City Councilman Doug Thorndike said other cities weren’t generally having problems with their skate parks. “I wonder why we’re having such disheartening results so far,” Thorndike wrote.
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