This story first appeared in the February/March Issue of the Zephyr. We’re reprinting it here, in smaller sections, to make it easier for our readers to absorb the information.
NOTE: In preparing this article about Moab’s city manager Rebecca Davidson, the Moab City Council’s actions re: Ms. Davidson and the subsequent “restructuring” of Moab government, The Zephyr sought information from a variety of sources. We filed Freedom of Information Act requests, via the Wyoming Sunshine Laws, with the City of Kemmerer, Wyoming and the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation. We filed a Government Records Access request (GRAMA) with the City of Moab, and we conducted interviews with numerous people personally involved in the issues raised here. We also contacted reporter Trevor Hughes, now of USA Today, who wrote a comprehensive article about the current Moab City manager’s tenure as city manager in Timnath, Colorado.
On January 11, we sent 15 questions to city manager Rebecca Davidson, in an effort to “clarify and resolve” issues raised in this article. She did not respond (Those questions are available to the reader elsewhere in this issue). Finally, we contacted the Moab City Attorney, Christopher McAnany, to seek clarification on the process used to fulfill our GRAMA request with Moab City. His January 24 response, which he noted was, “in lieu of any further response from Ms. Davidson,” is included elsewhere in this issue, and excerpted later in this article. Finally, we offer the City of Moab the opportunity to reply. But please note that all correspondence with this publication will be regarded as ‘on the record.’…JS
SEPTEMBER 23, 2015
Autumn had arrived earlier in the week, but it still promised to be another hot day in Moab, Utah on the morning of September 23, 2015. The Weather Channel called for a high near 90 degrees, and lots of sunshine, as longtime Moabite Ken Davey made his way to the city offices on Center Street.
Ken Davey.
Davey was a familiar face at City Hall and throughout Moab; he and his wife Julie Fox came to Moab in the late 1980s, not long after the Atlas Mill closed and Moab’s economy approached near-collapse. A quarter of Moab’s homes sat vacant in those days, as many locals wondered if the town would just dry up and blow away.
Ken and Julie were, in many ways, some of the first ‘New Moabites’ to arrive in town. Julie worked for AMTRAK and kept that job for years, until she and Ken had a child in the early ’90s. Later Julie started the Eklectica Cafe’ in Moab which still flourishes among the bigger chains restaurants and eateries.
In the beginning, Ken found work where he could get it; he became known for his talents as a writer, and eventually did reporting stints for all of the local media (including The Z) and later became the news director for Channel 6 television. In the 1990s Ken Davey was one of the town’s most familiar faces.
Davey was known for his intelligence and his self-deprecating wit, though even he acknowledged it could be a tad acerbic at times. For better or worse, Ken especially gained a reputation for his candor—-he could be more ‘frank and earnest’ than some people preferred—and could easily play the role of Devil’s Advocate from time to time, when he thought the need was there.
The “Dean of the Moab Press Corps” in the 90s.
He had recently (2012-13) co-hosted, with soon-to-be city councilwoman Heila Ershadi, a public affairs program called, appropriately, “On the Other Hand.” Most Moabites appreciated his honesty, even if it sometimes annoyed them. Some didn’t.
For the last ten years, Davey had been Moab City’s ‘economic development specialist and administrative analyst.’ Former city manager Donna Metzler offered him the job in 2005 and, based on his performance reviews, he executed his responsibilities with skill and professionalism, and was considered an asset to the community. Davey loved the work and the challenge.
On this warm September morning, Ken Davey had several projects on his mind—first he was concentrating on two upcoming projects. Working with the Utah State University-Moab Business Resource Center intern, Ken planned to schedule as many as fifty interviews with local Moab business owners and managers in the near future. His goal was to determine what regional, state and federal incentive and training programs best matched the needs of local businesses. Davey saw this as an opportunity to vastly expand local utilization of the Custom Fit Program, which provides matching funds for employee training. Davey was convinced this could help both the local workforce to develop better paying job skills and, in doing so, increase profits.
Davey also spent the morning preparing for meetings with leaders from USU-Logan and USU statewide, to discuss Moab’s economic future. He wanted to explore the kinds of industries and businesses that best suited Moab’s future. Instead of the desperate, “we’ll take anything,” approach that so many communities often resort to, Davey thought it made more sense to determine what businesses ‘fit’ Moab best. Then he hoped he could use the resources of Utah State University and the University of Nevada to develop a strategy and a campaign to help expand existing businesses that fit the criteria and recruit other companies to set up shop in Moab.
Davey broke for lunch but was at his desk at about 2 PM when he received a call from Moab City Recorder Rachel Stenta. She asked him to come downstairs to her office immediately. A couple minutes later, he
Moab City Recorder Rachel Stenta.
arrived to find Stenta and City Manager Rebecca Davidson waiting for him.
Davidson had been Moab’s city manager less than six months; selected from 57 applicants by the Moab City Council, her previous work experience, in similar positions in Timnath, Colorado and Kemmerer, Wyoming had been marked by heated controversy, angry public debate, and even litigation. Now, it must have felt like deja vu, as she showed Davey a chair and advised him to sit down.
Davidson announced to Davey that on the previous evening, the Moab City Council had voted unanimously to “restructure” the city staff and that consequently, his position was being eliminated. Immediately. Davey wasn’t even aware that a restructuring vote was on the agenda. There had been no emails, no staff meetings, no warnings whatsoever that a major change in the organization of Moab City was about to be sprung on its staff.
On her desk was a document which she pushed across the table for him to examine. She explained that if he refused to sign it, he’d be eligible for what amounted to a pittance in severance pay; if he agreed to its terms, he’d receive an amount slightly more, enough perhaps to sustain him and his family for a couple months. Davidson said she’d give him some time to decide and suggested he talk to a lawyer. The conversation was over.
Stenta escorted Davey back to his office, where he called Julie to give her the news. Stenta stood outside the door while he made the call, then re-entered his office while Davey cleared out his desk of personal items and turned over his city cell phone, keys, and computer password. It took about 15 minutes.
Stenta then escorted him to the back door. Less than half an hour after he learned he was about to become unemployed, Ken Davey walked out of Moab City Hall for the last time.
When he got home, Davey showed the document to Julie and explained the severance options. The paper also included what Davidson called a, ‘non-disparagement agreement.’ It stated:
“Employee and City hereby mutually agree not to make disparaging or defamatory comments or statements about one another, or any person or entity associated or affiliated with City, following the execution of this agreement.”
Ken Davey, at 62 years of age and unemployed, in a community already struggling with high unemployment and shockingly low wages, realized that he was in no position financially to hire a lawyer and contest the terms of the agreement. He signed the document and returned it to the City of Moab.
* * *
Unknown to Ken at the time, the same fate was falling on fellow city employee, ‘community development director’ David Olsen. Olsen had been with the City of Moab for 25 years. Like Davey, Olsen was called
David Olsen. c/o Moab Times Independent
from his desk, advised of the ‘restructuring’ and told to vacate his office and the building. He was shown a document, including the ‘non-disparagement’ clause. If he signed the document, the city would pay Olsen 10 weeks severance; if he refused to sign, a small fraction of that amount. An attorney on Olsen’s behalf later sent a letter to the city, asking for an increase, based on Olsen’s quarter century of service to the City of Moab, but the request was flatly denied.
Just months earlier, Olsen had bought a new home for his family and put his old home up for sale. A bank loan for a balloon payment on the new home was approved, based on his income with the city, on the same day he was dismissed. The loan was canceled.
Through the decades, Olsen rarely dabbled in politics, but showed a passion and loyalty to his work and to the citizens of Moab that was unmatched. Not everyone agreed with Olsen’s vision for Moab’s future, but no one could question his integrity, his decency, or his commitment to the community. One co-worker called Olsen the most dedicated worker he’d ever met. Other than a couple of unavoidable surgeries, Olsen never once called in sick in 25 1/2 years. That’s dedication.
And yet, when Olsen first came to Moab, his real claim to fame was via his dog. ‘Bailey’ was a remarkable black lab who possessed the unique ability (for a canine) to climb trees. It was a common sight in the early 90s to see David and Bailey at the city park with his pooch precariously clinging to a tree limb, high above. Bailey’s legend reached all the way to the East Coast and New York City, to the Ed Sullivan Theater where Bailey displayed his special talents on a special edition of “Stupid Pet Tricks” on “Late Night, with David Letterman.” The two Daves stood by a very tall fence, created just for the dog, beaming proudly. It was a great moment.
Over the years, Olsen helped create and organize the Trail Mix Committee and is credited with helping to develop more than 150 miles of singletrack bicycle trails in the Moab area. Early in his career, he was instrumental in developing a plan for the Mill Creek Parkway. He worked over two and a half decades to
The Olsen Family.
secure millions of dollars in grants for the city. Three years ago, he was featured in the Times-Independent’s “Unsung Heroes” page, noting, “It’s hard to miss the influence that David Olsen has had on Moab.” The T-I also highlighted his work on the school board and his “many years as a coach with Moab City Recreation programs. He is currently coaching the seventh-grade girls’ basketball team.” He told the T-I, “My kids are there. It helps me to be closer to them.”
On the day he was dismissed, he’d been working on grant and loan applications for the proposed new sewer plant and water tank, and a grant he had just finished called “Safe Routes to School” was approved by the council on the same evening they approved the re-structuring plan and, consequently, his dismissal.
After he was dismissed, Olsen told the Moab Times-Independent, “I gave it my all. I feel good about what we accomplished. It’s miraculous what we accomplished,” Olsen added, “I worked with some great people and I feel incredibly thrilled with what we’ve done over the years … Millions of dollars of great things. We’ve competed really, really well. I don’t know why you’d restructure success.”
But on September 23, Olsen was out of a job. He later told the T-I that he was given about 2 1/2 hours to pack up and get out. “I thought I did a great job for the city,” Olsen told the Times-Independent. “I did the best I could to represent them and I was an advocate for fixing up things. Everywhere I go I can see something. I feel good about it. This is kind of like the Twilight Zone for me, what’s happened.”
Olsen. c/o Moab Sun News.
COMING IN PART 2: ‘OFFICIAL’ & PUBLIC REACTION…AND OFF THE RECORD
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Continuing the Discussion