Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2003 | 11:08 a.m.
Assemblyman Wendell Williams is going to be fired from his job at Las Vegas City Hall and Sharon Segerblom will be offered an unspecified option that would allow her to remain employed by the city, officials said today.
The decisions come after months of turmoil revolving around the city's handling of findings that Williams, an employee of the city's Neighborhood Services Department, billed the city for hours he didn't work while he was serving in the Legislature.
Two city investigations also found that Segerblom, the former director of Neighborhood Services and Williams' boss, did not properly supervise Williams and allowed the situation to get out of hand. The investigations were challenged by lawyers for Segerblom and Williams, and it all led to a special City Council meeting last week.
While the actions may bring some closure, still hanging in the balance are the issues of how Williams will respond, whether Segerblom will accept a deal, and whether the city will push for an additional investigation that could lead to criminal charges.
Williams' lawyer, Larry Semenza, said this morning that he has to talk to his client before determining the next step. Laura Fitzsimmons, Segerblom's lawyer, said she has been speaking with city officials and hopes for a conclusion soon.
She would not discuss the conversations, other than to say "we are engaged in discussions I believe will be productive, and Sharon will have to make decisions about how she wants to proceed."
David Riggleman, city communications director, said he could confirm that Segerblom had been given "an option with conditions that would allow her to stay," but he could not be specific. Segerblom, who is on unspecified leave, already has been demoted from her position as director of the Neighborhood Services Department.
He also said that the decision had been made to begin the termination of Williams.
As for presenting the information developed during the two city investigations -- one by the city manager's office, the other by the city auditor -- to city marshals for a potential criminal inquiry, Riggleman said he did not know when that was going to happen.
That was one of the items brought up during the special council meeting two weeks ago. Council also asked for a closed personnel session with City Manager Doug Selby, and some council members said that Segerblom and Williams should not be the only ones to take the fall for the situation.
During the meeting, the council was told that it would have to ratify Segerblom's firing, if that happened. City officials have called both Segerblom and Williams "appointive" employees.
According to the city charter, the council must ratify the hiring and firing of such employees; however, at the meeting the city attorney gave an opinion that Williams is not in the category, so his firing would not have to be ratified by council.
For more than two months, the city has been trying to deal with a scandal that developed after the media requested Williams' cell phone records, which showed thousands of dollars in charges. He agreed to pay the city back about $1,800.
After that, pay records showed he received city pay while he was serving in the 2003 Legislature, and when those records were questioned, he agreed to pay back the city about $6,700.
That led to scrutiny of Williams' 2001 time cards, which showed he and Assemblyman Morse Arberry, then his Neighborhood Services Department supervisor, collected city pay -- including sick time -- while serving in the 2001 Legislature. Williams took 208.25 hours of sick time while the Legislature was in session in 2001, and Arberry took 80 hours of sick leave during a time period in which he attended legislative meetings.
Williams claimed he helped the city with legislative issues during the 2001 session, and that the pay arrangement and a subsequent promotion came about because of that work. While Segerblom had recommended Williams for a raise, he could not receive one because he was at the cap for his current position.
The city had a hiring freeze at the time, but the city manager's office created a new position for Williams, and approved the promotion without Segerblom's signature.
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