SOUNDER THE ISLANDS’
Serving Orcas, Lopez and San Juan County
WEDNESDAY, March 4, 2015 VOL. 48, NO. 9 75¢ islandssounder.com
First baby of the year born – page 8
What’s rough-skinned, small & trekking across our roads? Shona Aitken photo
Far left: A rough-skinned newt. Left: This sign was designed for local research group Kwiaht in 2009 by San Juan Island artist Chinmay. It has been used at a number of regular newt crossings on Orcas. To request the image, email rlbarsh@gmail.com.
by SHONA AITKEN
Wolf Hollow Wildlife Rehabilitation Center
We counted eight of the little animals – dead and squished flat by cars – on just one short stretch of road. We also found two others,
slowly making their way across the road, so we carefully scooped them up and moved them into the long grass at the side of the road. Most people driving along would never have noticed these tiny creatures, only three to four inches long.
The little creatures were roughskinned newts. At this time of year the females are moving from the woodland where they spend the winter, to their breeding ponds and wetlands. Sadly their route often takes them across roads where many
are killed by cars. These little newts are quite abundant on the islands, but most people have never seen one, because they are so small (a really big one is about six inches long) and they spend most of their time hidden in vegetation on the forest floor or in ponds and wetlands. They look a bit like lizards, with long bodies and long tapering tails, but they are actually amphibians, with moist skin. Their top side is covered in small bumps (hence the name “roughskinned”), and can be a range of shades of brown, but their belly is bright orange or sometimes yellow. Several years ago we were driving on Orcas and came across a newt slowly crossing the road.
Building official on administrative leave By SCOTT RASMUSSEN Journal editor
San Juan County's chief building official remains on paid administrative leave and his employment with the county in doubt. And, the merits of his report of improper government action, a so-called “whistleblower” claim, would appear to be up in the air as well. An eight-year county employee, John Geniuch was escorted out of his office at the Community Development and Planning Department on Feb. 11 by two senior-level managers and placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal investigation involving a trio of concerns over employee conduct. He left the building without incident, according to Friday Harbor attorney Nick Power, who represents Genniuch in the labor-management dispute, and who described his client's exit from the building as civil, a matter-of-fact affair and “no big deal.” “He packed up his stuff and left,” said Power, who joined his client at CDPD prior to his
departure. “That’s about all there was to it.” Hired as a plans examiner, Geniuch was promoted to deputy building official in late 2010 and appointed chief building official in early 2014. He contends that revenue generated by building permit fees has been improperly funneled to other CDPD-managed programs and that the ongoing practice is out of compliance with state law. He said he repeatedly notified CDPD management and others of his concerns in the latter half of the previous year, was repeatedly told that his interpretation of RCW 82.02.020 is incorrect. On Feb. 4, Geniuch filed a whistleblower claim with the county human resources department and the prosecuting attorney. On Feb. 17, Power and Geniuch met with the county manager, human resources manager and CDPD Director Sam Gibboney to discuss the concerns leveled by management about his job performance and that reportedly led to his dismissal. Power said that such a meeting, known as a Loudermill hearing, is standard protocol for government employees facing potential termination and functions as
a “due process” hearing in which an employee can contest, rebut and clarify facts surrounding allegations in question. Power declined to describe the allegations, but said that two appear to border on “fabrication” and the third, while even if true, would amount to a “very minor” transgression. Power is unsure how long the county intends to keep his client on administrative leave and said they have yet to receive notice about the status of his employment. Calls by the Sounder seeking comment from the county manager have not been returned. As chief building official, Geniuch manages the regimen of county building inspections and oversees building plans and permit reviews. Duties of the position include handling disputes over local building code and making code interpretations to resolve such disputes, serving as department liaison for the Building Advisory Committee and drafting legislation to help clarify or make local building codes more effective.
SEE COUNTY, PAGE 6
Of course I had to rescue it so it wouldn’t get run over. When I approached, it curled its front end up in an exaggerated push-up, flashing its bright orange underside at me. That is newt-speak for, “try to eat me and you will die!” This is no empty threat, as the newt’s skin produces a potent neurotoxin that will kill most predators if they eat one. The exception is the common garter snake that seems to be immune to the toxin and regularly has newt for breakfast. I had no intention of eating the newt and knew I wouldn’t die from briefly touching it, so I ignored its warning, gently scooped it up and moved it off the road. And then I washed my hands. For the next few weeks, and
SEE NEWTS, PAGE 6
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