SEQUIM — Former Police Chief Robert Spinks has no intention of fading into the background, even if he did have to relinquish the helm of the force.
He issued a two-page news release stating he’s “never been a wallflower . . . and will continue to be active in Sequim.”
Over the weekend, KONP radio reported that Spinks, who resigned at the behest of City Manager Steve Burkett, might have eyes for a Sequim City Council seat.
“We’ll see where things are next spring,” Spinks said in an interview on the Port Angeles radio station.
Later, in his news release, Spinks said: “I’m always interested in community opinion, needs and wants. . . . I would encourage citizens to share their issues and concerns with me by e-mail at sequimchief@aol.com.”
That e-mail address may seem ironic, considering Spinks is no longer police chief.
He has said that Burkett told him to “look for greener pastures” back in March, because of differences in management style.
In an interview Tuesday morning, Burkett said the e-mail moniker seems a little strange, but “we can all select our own e-mail addresses.”
Spinks asserts in his news release that the city manager told him to seek other employment after working with him for “three (3) short months. . . . Burkett wanted to bring his own management team to town.”
Spinks’ statement is not accurate, Burkett said, though he declined to comment further on that point.
Burkett in fact began as city manager Oct. 19, so he worked with Spinks for about five months before asking him to leave.
Last spring, Spinks, 51, sought positions in the Lebanon, Ore., Pullman and West Richland police departments — but has repeatedly said he’d prefer to find work that enables him to stay on the North Olympic Peninsula.
A City Council seat wouldn’t be a well-paying gig: Members receive $150 per month, while the mayor makes $250 per month.
Fortunately for Spinks, the city provided a severance package that guarantees him $31,044 — two months’ salary plus payment for unused vacation and sick leave — plus an additional $7,192 if he doesn’t find another job by Oct. 1.
His severance agreement also has a non-disparagement clause requiring that Spinks and Burkett and his staff refrain from denigrating each other.
In his news release, Spinks wrote that he is the seventh city employee to leave since Burkett became manager.
“That represents 10 percent of the city’s work force,” Spinks said.
Ben Rankin came on board as public works director in June 2009 and resigned in November, saying the job wasn’t what he’d expected.
Burkett laid off Capital Projects Manager Frank Needham in May; others in the finance, information technology and planning departments also have departed.
Spinks also wrote that a part-time marketing and communications manager position, with salary and benefits to total as much as $60,000 per year, has been created under Burkett.
“[The] additional expense, not to mention the various severance, time-off payouts, recruiting and other costs [of] such a high turnover in staff” will mean significant expenses for Sequim, Spinks wrote.
Burkett wasn’t ready Tuesday to answer the question of whether Spinks’ words violate his non-disparagement clause.
“I’m consulting with the city attorney [Craig Ritchie] on that,” he said.
“It’s probably not a good idea to get into a political debate” at this point.
Burkett added that he spent much of the Fourth of July weekend reading applications from police chief hopefuls and hopes to be interviewing candidates this month.
Spinks, meantime, wrote that many Sequim area residents have encouraged him to run for City Council — though the primary election isn’t until spring 2011.
“We’ll see what the future holds,” he added.
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Sequim-Dungeness Valley Reporter Diane Urbani de la Paz can be reached at 360-681-2391 or at diane.urbani@peninsuladailynews.com.
