SEQUIM – A police investigation of allegations of a city employee using city resources while on the clock is expected to be complete by Wednesday or Thursday, said Sequim City Manager Bill Elliott.
The investigation began after Elliott placed Gary R. Smith, Sequim’s information technology planner, on paid administrative leave in late January.
Elliott said he asked Police Chief Robert Spinks to investigate Smith after “it was alleged that he violated our personnel policy.”
The non-criminal investigation, Spinks said Friday, focused on “the use of city time and city equipment by a city employee.”
He added that Elliott’s concerns were about activity beyond minor Internet use or personal telephone calls by an employee in the course of the work day.
“If it were just that, we wouldn’t be wasting our time and effort,” the chief said.
Spinks said his investigation included examination of computer files and paper documents and a formal fact-finding interview with Smith.
The Sequim Police Department’s forensics investigator, Soeren Poulsen, assisted the chief.
Smith, who is also a commissioner on the Olympic Medical Center board, became Sequim’s IT planner last July.
He is among several new staffers added to the city’s payroll.
Smith’s annual salary is $70,907.
When asked whether he had discovered misconduct by any other city staffers, Spinks declined to answer.
Elliott, likewise, said, “I’m not willing to divulge any of that.”
Elliott did say that he has consulted a labor attorney on the matter.
He said her name is Eileen Lawrence, but he said he couldn’t recall the name or location of her firm.
Spinks said a “pre-determination hearing” will be held soon, and Smith will have an opportunity to present information that may mitigate the investigation’s findings.
Should Smith be found in violation of the city’s personnel policy, disciplinary action could include termination, Spinks said.
The chief emphasized that Smith, like any employee, is entitled to due process and presumed innocence, so he and Elliott are unwilling at this point to discuss what has been learned so far in the investigation.
“The city manager wants to protect an employee’s rights,” Spinks said.
Smith, reached on his cellular phone Friday, had no comment.
