BRIER — Paula Swisher got her job back as Brier city clerk/treasurer when the City Council approved her contract Tuesday in a 5-to-2 vote.
Mayor Bob Colinas, who concluded Swisher was terminated last May without cause, said he will make sure she gets the additional training and support to be successful.
“She is the best choice for our community,” Colinas said of the 37-year-old Swisher. “She is the person I want to work with.”
Councilman Gary Morgan and Councilman Martin L. Krienke voted against the contract and raised concerns that Colinas did not complete a thorough search for the best candidate or present other finalists.
“She failed at the job for whatever reason,” Morgan said. “I don’t think she was trained. … I know she was working hard. For all intents and purposes, she had problems when she was working here.”
Councilwoman Catie Corpron-Smith noted that the previous mayor, Gary Starks, didn’t complete a detailed search when he picked the previous three city clerk/treasurers during his two-year tenure and Morgan did not raise similar concerns at that time. Swisher was one of the those three and Morgan voted for her then, Corpron-Smith said.
“The very fact she (Swisher) is sitting here speaks so much to her character,” Corpron-Smith said. “I give her a lot of credit to come in here once again and face this scrutiny.
“It is time for this city to heal,” Corpron-Smith said. “We have gone through a rough ride in the last year and a half. (The citizens) want to get on with city business. … We do not need to dwell on this any more.”
During the debate, the Council majority concluded that at least five years of municipal government experience and advanced college degrees are “highly desirable,” as noted in the city’s ordinances, but not required. The mayor does not have to present more than one finalist, according to city rules.
“Mayor Bob Colinas has earned the right to pick his team,” said Councilman Carlton (Skip) Gipson. “He will be held accountable if she fails.”
Swisher, of Everett, defended her record, saying she did the best she could despite being cut off from her mentor, former city clerk/treasurer Norma Wilds, and other peers by Starks. She said Starks prevented her from attending professional conferences and classes.
“This is a real tough thing for me because you are putting me out there again,” Swisher said. “I can do the job and I have the support to do the job.”
As for not providing the Council adequate or timely information in the past, Swisher said she was blocked by her former supervisor.
“I was forbidden to give it to you,” Swisher said.
First step to heal city
Before the vote, several residents told the Council that bringing Swisher back was the first step in healing the city. About a dozen Brier residents testified that Swisher is professional, friendly, hardworking and capable.
Swisher is one of 12 people who were fired or quit during Starks’ tenure. Many city employees and residents claimed that Starks berated or intimidated them.
Starks did not run for re-election.
Colinas, a Brier councilman for eight years, beat Morgan in the race for mayor with 62 percent of the vote.
Starks was an elected councilman in October 2003 when he was appointed on a 4-3 vote after former Mayor Wayne Kaske retired. Colinas had also applied for the appointment.
At the time, Starks refused to discuss personnel issues. Starks hinted that he had legitimate reasons to let Swisher go because of her job performance, the council said Tuesday.
Morgan asked Colinas why he did not interview Starks, Swisher’s director supervisor, before deciding to take Swisher back.
“I didn’t trust a word that came out of her direct supervisor’s mouth,” Colinas said.
The Council acknowledged that the city hired Swisher almost three years ago as deputy city clerk/treasurer with the expectation that she would be promoted to city clerk/treasurer when her predecessor and mentor, Wilds, retired.
Swisher’s training was cut short in December 2003 when Wilds retired early instead of continuing to work with Starks. Wilds had worked for Brier for almost 20 years.
Colinas has enlisted Wilds and Mike Bailey, the current interim city clerk/treasurer and longtime finance director for other cities, to further Swisher’s training.
Councilman Dennis Nick said, “(Swisher) has been done wrong and she should be given that chance.”
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