Quintrall’s hire of manager focus of civil service probe

The hiring of a temporary worker making $44.75 an hour to oversee unionized, full-time city employees is being investigated by the Spokane Civil Service Commission.

Jan Quintrall, head of the city’s Business and Development Services Division, hired Jacqueline Luenow in November as the city’s systems and services manager. Previously, Luenow had worked at Bank of America as a vice president.

In her position at the city, Luenow supervises clerical employees. Joe Cavanaugh, president of Local 270 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, filed the complaint after some of his members who work under Luenow protested her hire, leading to the investigation.

Quintrall attempted to hire Luenow last year as a non-unionized “exempt” employee. The City Council blocked the move and told Quintrall the position had to be officially classified by civil service. Quintrall began that process but hired Luenow as a temporary worker “as a bridge to classification,” said Brian Coddington, the mayor’s spokesman.

Temporary city employees can work a maximum of 960 hours a year, said Gita George-Hatcher, the city’s chief examiner.

Cheryl Beckett, acting chairwoman of the commission, said the commission had “directed the staff do a deeper investigation” and will deliver the results of a “based-in-fact investigation” in February.