Hayden: When trust is broken

As a long term elected official I feel compelled to respond to an editorial in this week's Press by Mike Patrick. Those of you that have followed my time in public service know that I am a strong voice and am not afraid to speak up when I feel there is accountability to be had.

The role of City Council members is to oversee the budgeting and expenditures of the city, along with other legislative and land use duties. Part of our oversight is included within the job description for the City Administrator, where it states "advising and apprising the Mayor and Council of new developments, issues and concerns to keep them effectively informed." We live in a time of deep recession where more than ever there needs to be accountability to the public of where precious tax dollars are spent.Last year I pushed very hard to reduce travel budgets for city staff to a bare minimum. As we began our budget process for this year, I requested travel records for this fiscal year. As I looked closely at the payments that had been made I asked for an even deeper accounting of those expenses. What I found was startling and unacceptable to me.

While Mike Patrick makes reference to Mr. Chatwin's travel expenses averaging "about $90 a month" being an "extremely reasonable overall figure" what he is missing is the fact that many of Stefan's travel expenses have been accrued without any knowledge of council members and for unidentifiable reasons. Stefan is paid "$400 per month for the use of a personal vehicle for travel on behalf of" the city, as per his contract. The City of Hayden Employee Manual specifies that "city vehicles shall be used for all city travel whenever available and practical." Knowing this, my questions regarding his travel expenditures arose when I realized that he had rented a "luxury Cadillac" from Hertz at the Spokane airport at a rate of $309.65 for an overnight trip to Portland. The record reflects that he left at 10 a.m. Friday from Spokane and returned the vehicle by 4 p.m. the next afternoon. To date no documentation or report has been provided as to the necessity for this trip.

This charge is not the only red flag in Stefan's travel records. In fact, each trip he took to Portland reflects an upgraded King room with several room service charges. City policy states that Per Diem rates are to reflect standard GSA parameters. Lodging is paid to employees at the amount expended, but employees are given the charge to "make every effort to secure lodging that is reasonably priced, request the government rate and tax exemption, and carry the proper forms to secure such rates." Stefan booked upgraded rooms in hotels that are in the high rent district along the river in downtown Portland. Stefan's room service charges consistently exceed GSA guidelines. One breakfast charge was nearly $30 when the GSA guidelines specify that $12 is acceptable. There are other details that are questionable, but the largest red flag is that the council never had prior knowledge of these weekend trips to Portland, and has yet to be briefed as to the benefit the city received from those trips. Mr. Patrick quotes me in his editorial from an article in 2009 where I state that we need to "cut out the fluff." Mr. Patrick states that Stefan has "been delivering" that. I state the opposite. The bottom line is not about averaging expenses, it is about cutting out unnecessary spending. We are currently looking at a nearly $500,000 shortfall for next year's budget. How can I explain cutting down on services , eliminating raises for employees, and cutting out necessary street and park maintenance knowing that what Stefan "delivered" was a lack of following city policy he is charged with overseeing?

I have worked closely with Stefan on many things for the city and Hayden Chamber during this past year. While I admit that on many occasions he has been of great help and support for the Hayden Chamber, I, along with other council members, chamber members, and citizens have concerns about his demeanor, strong communication, and focus. However, I publicly made a vote to terminate his contract because of them. I did not make that vote based on anything but my lack of confidence that Stefan can lead our city through these tough times.Hayden is at a crossroads, as Mr. Patrick points out. While he gives the Council the charge of "investing in more communication and consideration" for this "winning team" I believe he is indeed not privy to the "direct insight" of personnel issues and the challenge we face over the lock of votes that we are in. I believe it is imperative that everyone takes a close look at the trust that has been broken over the past year by our administrators' choices. Three council members feel so strongly that trust has been broken beyond repair that we voted to terminate his contract. I believe that we are the elected eyes and ears at city hall and are charged with holding staff accountable to policies and procedures.

Nancy Lowery is a member of the Hayden City Council.