S.L. County probing problems in division

The Salt Lake County Council decided Tuesday to wait for the results of an investigation now under way into problems in one of its divisions before determining what, if any, action is required of the board.

Three managers in the Planning and Development Services division of the Department of Public Works are currently on paid administrative leave following the resignation last week of division chief Simon Ginn.

Mayor Peter Corroon's chief administrative officer, Doug Willmore, said Monday that a divisionwide survey and one-on-one interviews with employees in the office had been completed as part of a wide-ranging inquiry, the results of which should be compiled by month's end. The evaluations were instigated, in part, by information that came to light in inquiries surrounding allegations of sexual harassment filed against Ginn.

Willmore said last week that the investigation into Ginn's alleged misconduct uncovered evidence that pointed to divisionwide issues and is "representative of an organizational culture that is dysfunctional."

Pubic Works Director Linda Hamilton said three people outside of the department were assigned to conduct what she characterized as an "organizational review" of planning and development. They include associate human services director Kelly Colopy, emergency services coordinator Jeff Graviet and associate administrative services director Patrick Leary.

County Council Chairman Joe Hatch said before the meeting that the council needed to determine if current issues in planning and development are merely personnel-based or indicative of wider problems.

"If this is a personnel issue and one or two people need to be sanctioned, that's an administrative issue to be handled within the department," Hatch said. "On the other hand, if it's a systemic problem ... a culture or leadership or morale issue, which tracks back to policy, that's something the council needs to be involved with."

That determination will now be delayed by a couple of weeks — the amount of time Public Works director Linda Hamilton told the council it would take to complete the investigation.

Councilman Jeff Allen, leader of the minority Republicans, said after the meeting that the current situation raises questions about the policies that guide when a person is placed on administrative leave and, subsequently, when that decision and the circumstances surrounding it are made public. He also noted that Hamilton's recognition to the council that she believed there were "systemic problems" in the division is an indicator that a separate, independent investigation may be needed.

"I'm okay waiting for the results of the internal review," Allen said. "From what I heard today, I'm guessing an independent audit, or investigation, may be necessary down the road."

Employees of the division currently on leave include code-enforcement chief, Mike Barrett, associate planning director, Delbert Swensen and planning section manager, Tom Roach. Willmore said Tuesday that investigations into conduct are pending against all three.

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