Bainbridge Island Review, May 31, 2013

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REVIEW BAINBRIDGE ISLAND

SPECIAL GUIDE INSIDE: Bainbridge Island Museum of Art opening day preview.

FRIDAY, MAY 31, 2013 | Vol. 113, No. 22 | WWW.BAINBRIDGEREVIEW.COM | 75¢

Final legal question resolved, ‘stalking’ saga comes to an end

The cat’s meow

POLICE GUILD REQUEST TO DESTROY RECORDS REJECTED BY BRIAN KELLY Bainbridge Island Review

The legal back-and-forth in the dispute between the city of Bainbridge Island and a police officer accused of stalking a city councilwoman may have finally come to an end. Scott Weiss, the Bainbridge police officer who was accused of tailing a councilwoman after a council meeting in October 2010, was cleared of accusations of misconduct by an arbitrator in February. But the case has lingered on in the two months since, as the city has withheld payment of Weiss’ back wages until the end of the latest legal skirmish. Janet Gaunt, the arbitrator in the labor dispute between the city and its police union, said in her February decision that it was wrong of the city to suspend Weiss without pay because there was a lack of evidence of misconduct.

Weiss had been suspended without pay for 160 hours, and Gaunt told the city to restore any pay or benefits that Weiss lost while away from work. Earlier this month, the arbitrator settled the remaining legal question in the case. After the suspension was overturned, the Bainbridge Island Police Guild asked Gaunt on April 16 to order the city to have all of the documents that were compiled during the investigations on Weiss removed from the city’s files. The union also wanted the documents destroyed. In a May 9 decision, Gaunt refused to order the destruction of the documents, but said they should be kept out of Weiss’ personnel file. After Gaunt’s last decision, Weiss picked up his check for lost pay. It totaled $4,611. The arbitrator’s final decision marked the apparent

end to a long simmering controversy that cost the city thousands of dollars in legal fees and soured relationships between elected officials and the city’s police force. Weiss, now a detective with the Bainbridge police department, did not respond to requests for comment on the case.

Blogging for the union The accusation of stalking stemmed from a special council meeting in October 2010, an evening that was consumed by council talk of budget cuts as the city struggled to regain its financial footing. Weiss, who was president of the police union then, was on duty on the night of the council meeting and was seen talking with then-police chief Jon Fehlman as city hall emptied after the meeting. SEE SAGA, A9

Departing public works director to be put on administrative leave BY BRIAN KELLY Bainbridge Island Review Henri Gendreau / Bainbridge Island Review

A young visitor to the new PAWS location at Pleasant Beach Village watches through a window as Charlie Wenzlau, the architect of the Lynwood Center complex which houses Paws, pets a new friend. PAWS held an open house and ribboncutting ceremony Friday at their new home. The adoption center is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Bainbridge Island’s outgoing Public Works Director Lance Newkirk will be placed on paid administrative leave for two months before he steps down from his job with the city.

According to Newkirk’s separation agreement with Bainbridge Island, the paid leave is a special deal that isn’t based on any previous contractual commitment between Newkirk and the city. It guarantees Newkirk will get an additional two months’ worth

of salary in addition to the two months of severance pay the city will give Newkirk upon his departure. “The parties agree that this paid leave is designed to aid employee’s transition to alternative employment and is not

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Maureen Buckley 206.947.7354 (c) • 206.842.4099 www.BuckleyRealEstate.com/490721

SEE LEAVE, A30


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