PUD treasurer resigns after placed on leave

Published 1:31 pm Thursday, March 20, 2014

Sequim Gazette staff

Clallam PUD has agreed to give a $78,685.98 six-month severance package to former controller/ treasurer Josh Bunch.

Bunch, who managed the PUD’s finance, accounting, billing and customer service departments, went on administrative leave on Jan. 27, due to “personnel issues,” said Mike Howe, communications and government relations manager for Clallam PUD.

Bunch resigned on March 4 after working for the PUD since June 28, 2006.

Along with the severance, he received an additional $13,702.47 for unused vacation and sick leave and $1,046.24 for accrued holidays.

Howe said Bunch’s leave and resignation are unrelated to financial issues with the PUD.

“In order to avoid a protracted dispute that would not be in the best interests of the PUD or the PUD’s ratepayers, the PUD will pay Josh a severance package and Josh has resigned to pursue new employment opportunities,” Howe said.

Dave Papandrew, PUD district auditor, will fill-in for Bunch, Howe said, but there hasn’t been a decision on when to address the controller/treasurer vacancy permanently.

After requesting documents from Clallam PUD on Bunch’s work leave, all documents and communication between Bunch and an unnamed employee were withheld in anticipation of litigation and to protect the privacy of the person identified in the material.

In regards to e-mails and text messages between the two people, the PUD said the contents were personal and unrelated to governmental operations and violate the authors’ and those mentioned privacy rights.