Documents released by Clark County provide new details and raise new questions over the sudden dismissal of animal control manager Paul Scarpelli, who said that drinking an after-hours beer landed him in trouble.
Last month, Scarpelli and multiple members of his staff unexpectedly left their jobs at animal control, which has raised concerns about public safety after the county announced it’s temporarily cutting back on the agency’s service levels.
County officials have declined to comment on personnel matters. But Scarpelli, a county employee of 17 years, said the county overreacted.
“I have not found a single person who understands how that punishment equates to that action,” said Scarpelli.
Here are a few takeaways from the nine pages of records released by the county.
Conflicting memos
A May 17 memo addressed to Scarpelli advised him he was being put on administrative leave while human resources investigated an allegation that he had violated employee policy. The violation involved “purchasing and consuming alcohol” while representing the county at an off-site meeting during the workday.
But another memo bearing the same date suggests the investigation had been completed.
Scarpelli said in an email that he never received the first memo stating that he was on leave. He said that he worked until the minute he was fired.
Another memo, also dated May 17, from then-interim Director of Community Development Mitch Nickolds (who has since been permanently appointed to the job) gave Scarpelli notice of a “Due Process Meeting” to be held on May 22 in the Public Service Center, where he would be given a chance to respond to the allegations. It referenced an investigation that appeared to be already complete.
“During the investigation you admitted to consuming an alcoholic beverage and returning to work to pick up your keys,” Nickolds wrote. “Given the seriousness of these allegations, I am considering discipline up to termination.”
The memorandum referenced county policies regarding ethical conduct and maintaining a “Substance Abuse Free Workplace.” Additionally, it referred to off-duty conduct that impairs the employee’s on-the-job effectiveness, as well as unprofessional conduct or appearance.
Scarpelli said that when he met with Nickolds he admitted to drinking the beer, but he pointed out that his calendar and timecard showed that he was off the clock.
However, a letter from Nickolds, dated May 22, terminated Scarpelli’s employment effective May 23.
Scarpelli responded with an email at 4 a.m. on May 23 telling Nickolds that “I felt like I had done nothing wrong” and he was unaware of policy about off-duty conduct cited during the meeting.
But his last appeal had no effect. Scarpelli said he was walked out of his workplace as his staff watched.
‘Should be spotless’
Neither memo references any previous violation of county human resources policy by Scarpelli. The memo from Nickolds includes a section regarding facts and allegations that only references the allegation that Scarpelli inappropriately purchased and consumed alcohol.
But a May 23 email from Carrie Martin, an animal control officer, to Nickolds and human resources staff refers to a conversation where Scarpelli “acknowledged a lot of bad decisions. …”
In the email, she wrote that Paul had called her at the crack of dawn and told her “he could think of no one else to stand with him during a difficult time and that I had been directly honest with him when he made mistakes in the past.”
“I never said that,” Scarpelli responded in a follow-up text. “(I’ve) never thought that.”
Scarpelli said he’s never been involved in any sort of investigation that had to do with his employment. He said that his career with county animal control “should be spotless.”
Scarpelli responds
The documents include a written account of the incident from Scarpelli that lines up with his previous remarks.
In the statement, Scarpelli wrote that he was invited to the Parks Foundation of Clark County’s luncheon by Mark Watson, the president of Dog Owners Group for Park Access in Washington, a nonprofit that manages the off-leash parks in Clark County. Scarpelli sits on the group’s board, and he wrote that he took the afternoon off to discuss the Ross Complex dog park with Watson.
According to the statement, Scarpelli left a duffle bag with car keys in his office before walking to the Hilton Vancouver Washington for the event. After the luncheon, the two met at The Smokin’ Oak restaurant in downtown Vancouver, where they were joined by Russell Brent, the owner of Mill Creek Pub, and county Councilor Julie Olson.
In his statement, Scarpelli wrote that he took off his coat and “mentioned out loud that I was purposely turning it inside out.”
“I also mentioned I was done for the day, referring to my being off duty the rest of the day,” wrote Scarpelli. He added that he was there as a board member of DOGPAW.
He wrote that he and Watson ordered beers that arrived with a barbecue platter. “I believe I was clear that I was not working, nor returning to my desk and working the rest of the day,” he wrote.
According to Scarpelli’s statement, the conversation turned from the Ross dog park to more general problems facing the county’s dog parks. Scarpelli wrote that after the conversation ended, he paid his portion of the bill, retrieved his duffle bag from his office and went home.
Scarpelli said in an interview that he didn’t think the issue that attracted attention from human resources was retrieving his keys from work after having a beer. Instead, he said it was talking about dog parks while having a beer. He also said he thinks Olson reported him to human resources. Olson declined to comment.
In his statement, Scarpelli wrote that he’s been asked questions about his job “at the store, at church, by neighbors, and friends, all the time while not at work.”
“Can no employee talk about their work while not at work?” he wrote. “I just can’t believe I’m now at risk of losing my job while sacrificing so much of my personal time.”
He also wrote of his dedication to his job and how he had worked an 11-hour day the previous week. He also wrote that he tried to do the right thing and would be more vigilant. He also wrote that he hadn’t yet developed a relationship with Nickolds, who took over Clark County Community Development after Marty Snell abruptly resigned as director.
“Mitch, unfortunately, doesn’t know me, or much about my work,” Scarpelli wrote.
