Sequim Police Chief Bob Spinks was not selected for the chief’s position in West Richland, the Tri-City Herald newspaper reported today.
Earlier report:
SEQUIM — Pullman city officials have selected someone other than outgoing Sequim Police Chief Bob Spinks to become the Central Washington city’s new police chief.
Gary Jenkins of the Claremont Police Department in California was chosen over Spinks and three other finalists late last week to fill the $75,816-$92,400-salary position being vacated by retiring Chief Ted Weatherly, Pullman City Supervisor John Sherman said Monday.
The appointment must be approved by the Pullman City Council after a background check, Sherman said.
Sherman said Spinks “was just beaten out by a person the mayor considered more qualified” to head the police department for a city that’s home to Washington State University.
But Spinks is still in the running for the top law enforcement position in the city of West Richland, where Mayor Donna Noski could decide as early as today whether Spinks will head the police department there, said Garry Anderson, management services coordinator for the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, which has been contracted by West Richland to aid in the selection process.
One of six finalists
Spinks is one of six finalist candidates interviewed last week by Noski to fill the position in West Richland, population 10,500.
The West Richland position was vacated by Police Chief Layne Erdman, who earned $89,400. Spinks earns about $86,000 a year in Sequim, he said in an earlier interview.
Noski did not return repeated calls for comment Monday.
Spinks, who has said he is “aggressively” seeking new employment, was notified May 4 that he did not get a police chief job in Lebanon, Ore.
Sequim City Manager Steve Burkett, citing lack of “chemistry” between Spinks and him, is pressuring Spinks to depart the place where Spinks once said he had wanted to retire.
Burkett, who has been city manager for seven months compared with Spinks’ five-year-tenure as police chief, told Peninsula Daily News on May 6 that he’s hoping Spinks has a new job by May 31.
“My goal and his goal is to find a new police chief job as soon as possible,” Burkett said.
Reassignment possible
Spinks “will be resigning” if he doesn’t find work elsewhere by Dec. 31, which Burkett said he had “urged” Spinks to do, Burkett said.
Burkett, citing serious differences with Spinks in a PDN interview a day earlier, said Spinks is “bombastic” in contrast to his own personality, while Spinks, for the same article, deferred questions about their relationship to Burkett.
Spinks did not make it apparent to Sherman and Anderson why he was leaving Sequim or the circumstances of his relationship with Burkett, they said.
“He didn’t tell me why he’s leaving Sequim,” Anderson said.
Sherman said Spinks did not discuss his relationship with Burkett during interviews in Pullman.
“He didn’t say anything in any interviews about why he had an interest in leaving Sequim,” Sherman said.
Spinks was slated to attend a state Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs Conference this week in Spokane, he told PDN in an earlier interview.
He did not return a call for comment.
In an e-mail, he said:
“Pullman went with a Capt. from Claremont (CA), nice guy, should do well.
“Haven’t heard anything else.
“If you hear of any open jobs send me a note.
“If you have a PD question, Sgt. Dave Campbell is in charge this week at the office.”
Anyone Googling?
Then, in response to questions in an e-mail on what he’s telling potential new employers about his impending departure from Sequim and what triggered the division between him and Burkett, Spinks said:
“Ha — I guess I have to let employers know about my situation in Sequim. I mean if anyone Googles me, they instantly see the news stories.
“You’d have to ask the city manager about his thinking process. I’ve been told it wasn’t performance, there weren’t any issues raised before or after his decision and I have a 2 page letter of recommendation.
“I’d leave the digging up to you — I wanted to stay and finish my work, but such is not the case.
“Bombastic? Better get back on the road.”
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Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-417-3536 or at paul.gottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.
