Teresa Walker has been on leave since the summer
Morgan Hill – Morgan Hill Police Chief Bruce Cumming’s administrative secretary, Teresa Walker, has been on leave since this past summer, but details about her absence aren’t being released.
The departure comes after the Morgan Hill Police Department has had inadequate staffing levels due to city budget cuts that have left it perpetually short-handed. Walker’s leave has created extra work for records employees who have been filing in for her.
Effective in June, the salary range for the position is between $3,680 and $4,705 per month, according to Steve Schwab, part-time administrative analyst for the city human resources department.
“The duties do vary from department to department, but they are generally assigned administrative work, including screening visitors and phone calls for the department director, maintaining the department files, handling correspondence and reports, sometimes transcribing meeting minutes, those kinds of duties,” Schwab said.
Cumming said he could not comment on Walker’s absence because it is a “personnel matter.”
City Manager Ed Tewes also said he could not comment.
“In addition to our responsibilites under the law to treat our employees with respect and consideration, we also have legal responsibilities, which is why I can say nothing,” he said.
According to Jim Ewert, legal counsel for the California Newspaper Publishers Association, government code section 6250-6270, better known as the California Public Records Act, gives guidelines for releasing public documents, including the personnel records of public employees.
“The Public Records Act governs how public officials have to respond to requests,” he said. “Presumably, any record or document that is created, maintained or held by a government agency is available to the public. However, this is overcome by a plethora of exemptions.”
Ewert said the request for information about a public employee can be made public when it concerns the employee’s “capabilities or competence” in the job.
If the employee is on leave for other reasons, he said, including medical, emotional and mental issues, then a request for more information is deemed an “unwarranted invasion” of the employee’s privacy.
Most government agencies will air on the side of caution when it comes to releasing information about employees, he added.
“If the information is related to her performance on the job, the public is entitled to it,” he said.
Attempts to locate Walker were unsuccessful.
City Attorney Janet Kern and Morgan Hill police Cmdr. Joe Sampson did not return a call for comment by presstime.
Officials from the city’s human resources department were not available for comment Wednesday afternoon to answer questions on whether Walker’s absence was costing taxpayers’ money.
Marilyn Dubil covers education and law enforcement for The Times. Reach her at (408) 779-4106 ext. 202 or at md****@*************es.com.
