Former Mattawa police chief to be paid $100K, drop appeal

MATTAWA — The settlement agreement between the city of Mattawa and former police chief Joe Harris has the city paying Harris $100,000 for general damages.

Details of the agreement were seen in documents obtained from the city in a request for records.

In the settlement, approved by the city council during its July 1 meeting, the city agreed to reinstate Harris’ employment to April 10 and allow him to resign effective the same day. The April 10 date is one day after Mattawa Mayor Maggie Celaya fired Harris for reasons not yet stated by the city.

Per the agreement, Harris is eligible to reapply for employment with the city, but he agrees not to. The city will also give him neutral job references, which can only include the dates of Harris’ employment, his position, and he resigned and is eligible to be rehired. This reference will be made by the mayor or the mayor’s designee.

In return, Harris agrees to dismiss his appeal to the Civil Service Commission. A section of the agreement states it is intended to fully resolve matters between the city and Harris.

Harris’ lawyer, Bill Gilbert of Spokane-based Gilbert Law Firm, said Harris made the decision to resolve the issue with the city.

“They just wanted Joe gone, and ultimately it was disruptive to the city, the citizens of the city and the police department,” Gilbert said. “Joe made the decision that it needed to be resolved and (the appeal) was not going to be productive for anyone. He took the high road.”

Gilbert also said he and Harris were confident Harris would have gotten his job back, but with Celaya as mayor, she would continue to fight to have Harris removed.

“It’s not fair to the citizens,” Gilbert said. “They need a city government that is cohesive and cooperative. They need to move on. He (Harris) literally said that was enough. We’re not going to do this.”

Celaya did not respond to a request for comment by press time.