Mayor June Atack finally speaks out It is time for me to speak out about the recent problems and power struggle at City Hall during the past year. When I took office as Mayor of Poulsbo, I was advised that both the financial system and the Police Department were badly ad- ministered and needed revamping. The Clerk-Treasurer at that time was Bernie Parker. When he resign- ed, I proposed that the City hire a firm to assist us in testing applicants so we could find a fully qualified replacement. Based on strong recom- mendations from qualified sources, Dick Goodpasture was hired as interim Clerk-Treasurer. When the search for a full-time Clerk-Treasurer had ‘been narrow- ed to six finalists, Public Works Director Mitch Mitchusson and City Councilman Dan Pascoe asked me to eliminate any testing and to re- ject all applicants. It was their wish that I retain Dick Goodpasture permanently. I conceded. ss It became evident, after about a year, that Goodpasture did ‘not have the management skills necessary to handle the job. After discussing the situation with me, he submitted his resignation. I then hired a more competent Treasurer. ; a 1 was shocked to learn that our Police Department was not ing professionally managed. It was necessary for me to try to turn around Kitsap County Heralda Paid Political Advertisement the ‘‘good old boy’ system. The Chief of Police was a very popular person, but in my opinion he had virtually no capabilities to manage one of the more important City departments. For example: he was often away on private business, refused to dress in a professional manner, failed to document over- time in the Department, and hired police officers without doing pro- per background checks. He gave little assistance (and, in fact, went hunting) during a trial involving the Police Department in which the City was being sued for millions of dollars. I received complaints of unprofessional conduct by officers such as harassment, use of obscene language, questions of police brutality, and questions of favoritism. These and other items were brought to the Chief's attention, but he did not properly investigate the charges. Feeling that I needed assistance with this problem, 1 approached Councilman Jack Fletcher, and we met with Councilman Pascoe and our City Attorney to determine what action should be taken. Fletcher and Pascoe and I decided to hire personnel expert Charlie Dibble to investigate the problems in the Police Department and recom- mend necessary action. His findings resulted in the hiring of a consul- tant to prepare recommendations for the Police Department. I have already implemented many of the recommendations in the resulting Tanner Report. This report is a matter of public record and is available at City Hall. I worked directly with Councilmen Fletcher and Pascoe, kept them fully aware of the situation and had their concurrence in dealing with this problem. It was Fletcher's and Pascoe’s recommendation to not include the full City Council in this matter, to preserve confidentiali- ‘y, and I concurred. 2 ‘In the Public Works Department, I discovered through my own vati d citizen complaints that we had liquor being solicited observations and citize! pl d to get City work done, illegal use of City equipment and personnel on private property, purchase of equipment without required authoriza- tion, liquor stored on City property, and the taking of enathoes leave. When this was brought to the Public Works attention, he simply defended it. itizens for Mayor Atack a Paid for by Section A, Page 12 ‘dh conducted in the manner whi "My activities as Mayor ahha ‘they known all the faa citizens would have tablished for years and a “‘good old boy"" system has been estabshet! tory -— tempt to inject honesty and integrity, you step on toes. Finally — and most importantly — the current crisis is, at a power struggle in the purest sense of the term. When I took office, we had a system set up by which Council members acted as for different sections of the budget such as streets, sewers, ete, purpose of this was to have Council members well versed in areas of government, so that more informed decisions could be on matters of policy and budget. The system was not intended to vide Councilmen with a means by which they could help adminis departments. This is the Mayor’s job, by State law. The system worked well, until some individual Council mem| were elected who wanted to control not only policy and budget — only legal areas of authority — but also the daily administration the City. We had individual Council members issuing orders on w to place Police stake-outs and authorizing major equipment pure! Department heads complained to me that they did not know wh to take direction from. I even received a phone call from the Depart ment of Transportation, with a complaint that they had received com: flicting directives on a street project from professional City personnel and from a particular Councilman. T issued a memo that staff members were not to take orders ff Council members — but I never told the Staff that they were not to talk to them. The City staff simply cannot have eight bosses. State law dictates that the Mayor is administrator of the City. a ay challenge to you, whether you wish to give me a vote of col Bae Not, is to use your vote to bring honesty and integrity (@ Stead egg apett and to demand that in the future your City Coum | 'yor uphold these principles, If ec . a Aierianens Gea poaeee to be viewed as having an honest Cilf changed, truly serves the public, present attitudes must \ Mayor June Atack 6 Wednesday, March ®&