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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCivilService 2013-10-07 MinutesCity of Tukwila 6200 Southcenter Boulevard • Tukwila, Washington 98188 October 7, 2013 Jim Haggerton, Mayor The following commissioners attended the regularly scheduled meeting of the Tukwila Civil Service Commission: Ron Johnston, Carol Zuvela and Dennis Sivak. Others in attendance were Police Chief and Kim Gilman, Civil Service Examiner. Guests: Mark Hake and Ginger Hake. CALL TO ORDER 5:00 p.m. APPROVAL OF MINUTES APPEAL HEARING: Chair Johnston called the meeting to order. The Chair asked if there were any corrections needed for the September 9, 2013 Commission Meeting minutes. No corrections were noted. MOVED BY SIVAK, SECONDED BY ZUVELA THAT THE SEPTEMBER 9, 2013 COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES BE APPROVED AS WRITTEN. MOTION CARRIED. Lateral Police - Officer Candidate Mark Hake requested an appeal to the Chief's decision to remove him from the Lateral -Entry eligibility list. The Chief Examiner began the hearing proceedings by reading the hearing procedures to all in attendance. Police Chief Mike Villa stated that a tentative offer was given to lateral -entry candidate Mark Hake before a background investigation was begun. During the course of the background investigation negative information was received by 2 of Mr. Hake's previous employers in law enforcement (City of Sitka and the Swinomish Tribe). Both agencies reported that it was unlikely that they would consider Mr. Hake for re -hire. These former employers stated that the candidate had an inability to work with other officers and was described as a "lone wolf" or "one man band ". The Chief stated that the candidate's profile did not 1 City of Tukwila 6200 Southcenter Boulevard • Tukwila, Washington 98188 Jim Haggerton, Mayor fit with his Department's Mission "to improve the quality of life for all through community partnerships and problem solving to promote safe, secure neighborhoods ". As a result, the tentative offer was rescinded and the Chief removed the candidate's name from the Lateral -Entry eligibility list. Candidate Mark Hake distributed information packets to all 3 Commissioners. Each packet included 41 documents, the majority of which were reference letters from previous supervisors and co- workers. He stated that he was shocked by the adverse hiring decision, and originally thought it was a joke when he received the notification letter on September 12`h. The candidate indicated that several references did not respond or were not contacted by the City's background investigator. He provided a copy of the background checklist with those names highlighted. As part of the candidate's testimony, he read highlighted portions of each reference letter. He stated that he asked the Sitka Police Chief (Chief Schmidt) to write a reference letter, and that that letter was included in the packet. The candidate indicated that the letter in the packet is in direct contrast to the statements provided to the background investigator. Candidate Mark Hake noted that he personally served as the Shop Steward for the first Police Union in Sitka, Alaska and that his role lead to some adversarial positions. The candidate noted that the political background in Sitka should have been considered as a factor. Mr. Hake explained that he left his employment as a Police Officer with the Swinomish Tribe in order to work as a contractor in Iraq and serve his country as a K -9 Handler. He stated that he gave notice in December and left employment in January and at the time the Chief told him he would be eligible for re -hire. The Assistant Chief there stated that due to his short tenure and the possibility of him leaving again, he would not be considered for re- hire. Mr. Hake reported that he has requested daily operation reports (DOR's) from his work in Swinomish, but he has not received them. He also noted that the Chief has not returned his call and that others currently employed by Swinomish were hesitant to provide letters of reference 2 City of Tukwila 6200 Southcenter Boulevard • Tukwila, Washington 98188 Jim Haggerton, Mayor due to fears of retaliation. The candidate emphasized that a consistent theme runs through -out the letters of reference he read: that he worked well as part of a team, that he has been assigned to leadership positions, and that he has had many accomplishments as a police officer during his career. He noted that the reference letters comprise 90% of the people he has worked with in his career. In conclusion, Mr. Hake stated that the background investigation did not capture his character or his abilities. The Commissioners asked clarifying questions regarding the candidate's testimony. Chair Johnston asked for the candidate's wife, Ginger Hake, to provide a statement. Mrs. Hake provided an account of when the candidate received the Officer of the Year award from the City of Sitka. She stated that 1 officer each year was chosen by the Chief to receive this award. It was a testament to how the Department viewed her husband, Chief Villa read comments from Sitka's Police Chief from the background file. Under areas of improvement, Chief Schmitt responded that the candidate was a "Ione wolf', did not work as part of a team easily, was smart, would tell people what they wanted to hear, and that Sitka was unlikely to re -hire him. He noted that the Swinomish Chief reported that the candidate had applied there, and was not re -hired based on the short time he was employed before. Chief Villa responded that after viewing the background file and listening to the candidate's testimony that he questioned whether the candidate was humble and could admit his faults. He concluded by saying that the Department's philosophy was that if there are issues raised during the background investigation, then the Department will not extend a final offer. He further explained that the City is too busy to test candidates in the field. He noted that there were other candidates that were more competitive, and he requested that the Commission remove Mr. Hake from the list so that others could be considered for hire by the City. �a City of Tukwila 6200 Southcenter Boulevard • Tukwila, Washington 98188 FIRE DEPARTMENT BUSINESS Jim Haggerton, Mayor The Examiner explained that the Commissioners would deliberate in an Executive Session after tonight's meeting, and that a decision would be sent to the Candidate via certified postal mail within 10 days. The Chair closed the hearing. Staffing Update No update provided. Fire Department personnel were not in attendance. POLICE DEPARTMENT BUSINESS Staffing Update GENERAL BUSINESS Civil Service Rules PST Annual Meeting Chief Villa reported that there are currently 70 officers on the books, although not all of them are active (some are currently attending the Police Academy). He noted that there are 4 candidates currently in the backgrounding process in an effort to fill the 4 vacancies currently in the Police Records division. Chief's Interviews are scheduled this week for entry -level candidates, and 1 will be selected for backgrounding. Chief Villa stated that the Department has begun an aggressive lateral recruitment strategy with the intent of finding qualified laterals to fill existing and future vacancies. One officer has been assigned to this project, and has been working on it full time since September 1st The Chief Examiner distributed a clean copy of the Civil Service Rules which incorporated all of the revisions made to date. A tracked changes version of the document was also distributed as a reference. Commissioner Zuvela indicated that she would be interested in attending the Annual Meeting on October 16th in Lynnwood. The Civil Service Examiner along with 4 City of Tukwila 6200 Southcenter Boulevard • Tukwila, Washington 98188 ADJOURNMENT 7:12pm Chairperson Ron Johnston Jim Haggerton, Mayor personnel from the Police Department will also be in attendance. MOVED BY SIVAK, SECONDED BY ZUVELA THAT THE REGULAR MEETING BE ADJOURNED. MOTION CARRIED. Commissioner Dennis Sivak Vice - Chairperson o Zuvela