Update: Parks Chief’s Travel Expenses For March and April Totaled $7,140

Erica,
How is Gallagher's home for sale related to his travels? I'm totally confused by the article. If you're trying to imply something just comeout and say it, why confuse tax payer funded travel with a personal real estate transaction?

I agree… I'm confused by the house reference. Why is this relevant? Is he donating the proceeds of the sale to the parks foundation or something? Is he getting fired? Please clarify the relationship between these 2 details.

I get the need to travel to conferences but going to Oz when the Parks Dept. is considering closing all of the Environmental Learning Centers (Discovery, Carkeek, and Camp Long) seems pretty silly to me.

Gallagher gets what he wants; yet his first response to every park-related request from citizens is “No”.

Perhaps the house price was mentioned in order to establish his socioeconomic status and thereby stir up marxist/populist resentment towards him?

i'm thinking that he could be using these junkets to find a different job, and going to them on our expense. that is why the house sale could be relevant.

or maybe it's just because he owns a really nice house and still doesn't pay for his trips (whether they are vacations or not is not a question for me)

Total non-issue in a healthy fiscal environment. But now?

I don't get the point of addressing the guy's own fiscal wealth, though, unless we plan on always reporting on the relative wealth of all council members and major politicians.

It's relevant because it would seem to indicate a lack of commitment to staying in Seattle, for one thing. Also, because I just reported on it yesterday.

Erica,
Your logic is tenuous at best. I'm honestly not trying to argue with you, but just trying to gain insight on how you come to conclusions. Using your own statement, that since Gallaghers home is for sale it may demonstrate a lack of commitment to staying in Seattle, would you then also apply the same standard to an elected official or department director who rents. Does renting too indicate a lack of commitment to the city; and if it does not, how is that different to you?

Maybe we should be.

I see no bias. The house for sale is totally relevant — what is he doing? Truly looking to move or looking to find a new job. I think it is interesting that Gallagher has no problem with going on these trips when the department is looking to cut deep.

I won't bang on them again, but that — yes, at times annoying — habit that you see in AP and Reuters and AFP stories of constantly reporting all the background context is the big thing with stuff like this. Publicola isn't unique in not doing this. A lot of the independent internet-based press don't, I don't think.

It's that habit of — say you follow a given story for five days on Reuters or AP, about Whatever. M-F, you get five stories on Whatever, from inception to conclusion. The first day, they hit with you with this massive article and all sorts of background. It's 3000 words of pure info. Day 2, you get let's say 500-2000 words of new content, and the rest of the 3000? The background stuff from the first article. Days 3-5 follow a similar pattern. Lots of copy/paste, but it makes following the tale easier for people that didn't get in on the ground floor.

It's journalism version of “In last week's episode…/Previously on…”

It's also a hell of way to form the narrative, because each link or mention of the topic then includes the background.

I just wish more internet news did this. Not a slam on Publicola. Almost no one does that it feels like sometimes.

you're right…no one ever moves within the area. To a new house across town. to a suburb within commute distance…

Or… Maybe it's because he got married… and they decided they don't need to own a large house.

If Erica thinks this is so important to mention, you'd think she would actually report some facts in her small piece — you know, like this — instead of just innuendo.

The folks could consider whether the budget line items are appropriate or not, or what exactly taxpayers are paying for and what we're not.

Ah, that makes sense. Thanks, I much prefer your response to my speculation.

I'll partially apologize to Erica here. I didn't realize she posted more information in a later update.

This is the kind of crap that pisses off people from the govt. And there is no leadership on the Mayor's office to make sure this kind of crap doesn't happen. Gallagher's foolish wasting of dollars is getting hung around McGinn's neck.

Gallagher also “Cancelled” the Belltown Community Center because he feels Belltown will fail because it lacks amenities, like a community center. Astounding, considering the project was approved by a public vote in '99 and he is just a mayoral appointment.

Flying to foreign places on the public dime is supremely stupid right now and therefore newsworthy. Dunce.

But why is someone putting their house on the market part of this story? Is it OK to sell your house? Lame.

When did McGinn appoint him? Or was it Nickels?

But the real issue, does he drive a car and what model is it?

Why isn't there an outcry about the fact he is flying? Are we counting the city employee's flights against our GHG when they pay for the flights themselves?

Twenty percent of our local GHG is from air travel. Why doesn't this article focus on that?

I have also heard that he negotiated for and received a ton of extra vacation time when taking the job. Most city executives get about 6-8 weeks’ vacation. I think I heard he gets more like 11 or 12 weeks of paid vacation. Any truth to this?

I have seen Director's like this before. They want to use their position for self promotion to travel, give lectures, and talk about all the cool things Seattle does but then are completely absent from the day to day operations. I think it’s great for Seattle officials to get out to conferences, learn from others, share our experiences, etc. But this guy seems more interested in work related travel and paid vacations. I hope he can better demonstrate his commitment to Seattle's parks. There are some very amazing people who work at the Park's Department doing some great work for Seattle. I would hate to see Gallagher's perceived (or real) lack of commitment damage all those efforts.

There are many amazing Parks employees. Unfortunately, they often do not get the recognition for the support they give our community in Seattle.

It's unfortunate Tim cannot stick around while 2010 budget cut decisions are being made. Hopefully the Mayor and City Council can see the lack of leadership (or stated differently, self-centered nature) of his decision to be at a conference in Australia while others make these tough choices. He should justify how the city is benefiting from his out of town trips at a time like this.

My recommendation? Can him and find someone who is willing to be committed to Parks through actions as well as words.

Yes, this is an awful example of journalism.

It's obvious that the REPORTER doesn't approve of a four-figure travel expense, but most of the business world knows it's on par with an average employee going to an average conference. No story there.

So add it to an expensive (to a lower-middle-income person) home sale, and a wedding permit gaffe (I mean, WTF, who even CARES?), you can MAYBE paint a picture of someone who's somehow…well, maybe they had better just spell it out so WE know.

Maybe Erica never attends conferences, but that doesn't mean no one should.

Oh, and now he's resigned because of this crap.

I would too.

Good luck finding good people to run our city agencies if we're going to keep holding them to standards that are not only made up out of thin air, but not even clear.

The ugly side of journalism…

But Gallagher wasn't “Good people” he was an incompetent asshole with a mean streak a mile wide. He was a poor and ineffective manager who relied on intimidation and rank bullying, a lousy executive with poor political sense, and a really obnoxious jerk. Gallagher was a pompous ass who was overdue to get fired.

I don't think you could find anyone who works in the department who has not been appalled by Gallagher's incompetence over the last three years. Beyond his mismanaged reorganization and inability to grapple with the actual job of managing the day to day work of the department he has proven himself to be a shockingly mean and vindictive person. I'm stunned he lasted as long as he did. That you mayor McGinn.

You're a bitter fool who is probably actually being made to listen to citizens and, I don't know, perhaps WORK — both for the first time. Tim is changing a broken culture at Parks and maybe it is you who should be canned.

Only in Seattle or a tiny village hamlet could a $7,000 international travel expense be cast as scandalous.

quite so!

I always want local reporters to pause for 30 seconds above their adjectives and ask themselves “would this be a big deal if this were Chicago? or New York State politics?” Seattle is a full sized city with the morals of a tiny (enviro-centric!) church council.

Sez Mr. Anonymous.