Snohomish planning director fired for alleged misconduct on golf course

The director of Snohomish County Planning and Development Services was fired last week after an independent investigation found that he had exposed himself to a woman during a golf tournament in June.

Craig Ladiser, who had headed the county planning department since 2004, had been on leave from his job since June 29 for what he said in an e-mail to his senior staff was a family emergency.

Deputy County Executive Mark Soine notified Ladiser that he was being terminated on Thursday, a day after an investigation by the Seattle law firm Perkins Coie concluded that Ladiser was "very intoxicated" when he "deliberately exposed himself" to a female staffer of the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties, which sponsored the June 24 golf tournament.

Ladiser, who made $149,000 annually as development director, could not be reached for comment. The Seattle Times requested a copy of the investigative report and related e-mail under state public-disclosure laws.

According to the report, Ladiser drank two drink glasses of Jack Daniel's after he arrived at the Golf Club at Redmond Ridge and continued to drink heavily as he played in a foursome that included Michael Pattison, government-affairs manager for the Master Builders.

Witnesses said two nearby golfers were discussing tee length and one, the woman identified in the investigation as Jane Doe, held up a tee to Ladiser's foursome. Ladiser then walked up to the woman, unzipped his pants and said something to the effect of "I'll show you the size of my tee," the report says.

Sam Anderson, executive officer for the Master Builders Association, said Pattison contacted Ladiser the following day. Ladiser said he had no memory of the incident. Ladiser then called Anderson.

"He was very apologetic, very remorseful," said Anderson, who said Ladiser acknowledged that he had a drinking problem and said he planned to seek treatment.

Ladiser e-mailed Jane Doe on June 29. He said, "I have just heard of something that happened last Wednesday. I want to say with all my heart that I am truly sorry for what I did and assure you it will not happen again. I am seeking counseling immediately and will tender my resignation at the County. I have no excuses for the behavior. I am truly sorry."

When the woman learned that Ladiser had not resigned, but rather requested a leave to deal with "family issues," she contacted County Executive Aaron Reardon and detailed the alleged incident.

County spokesman Christopher Schwarzen said the executive immediately contacted the Prosecutor's Office and requested an outside investigation to determine whether the allegations were true. The investigative report was delivered to Reardon last Wednesday and led to Ladiser's termination.

As county planning chief, Ladiser was point man for the county's development and permitting. He was pressured by both environmentalists, who opposed what they saw as lax standards for new housing developments, and developers who argued that fewer restrictions would keep housing more affordable.

At the height of the county construction boom in 2006, the staff in Ladiser's department grew to 260. But declining permit revenues and a slump in the construction industry forced him to lay off more than half the staffers over the past two years.

County Council members were informed last week that Ladiser had been terminated but weren't told the reason.

On Monday, Councilman John Koster said Ladiser was a "straight-shooter" who did a difficult job as well as it could be done.

"Half the people are mad at you all of the time. If Craig erred, he would err on the side of helping people through the permitting process," Koster said.

Seattle Times researcher Gene Balk contributed to this story.

Lynn Thompson: 206-464-8305 or lthompson@seattletimes.com