Blaine officials asked the city’s public works director to resign last month after launching an investigation into “several improper credit card purchases” totaling more than $4,000.
Emails and other documents obtained by Cascadia Daily News describe how, beginning on June 27, city officials became suspicious of “inappropriate and odd purchases” on a city-issued credit card. That’s when they noticed that Public Works Director Bernie Ziemianek had purchased a $1,203 electric concrete grinder even though the city had no need for the tool.
City Finance Director Daniel Heverling then looked into several other purchases Ziemianek had made with a city credit card and could not immediately account for eight transactions dating to October 2021, totaling more than $7,600.
At first, it was unclear which of Ziemianek’s purchases were legitimate. City officials decided to hold him accountable for $4,150.27 in goods purchased: a miter saw, a stand and a brace for the stand; the electric concrete grinder; and two professional handbooks — on the international building code and the uniform plumbing code — that together cost $1,998.
An email Heverling sent to Ziemianek on the day of his resignation indicated the finance director was only sure that Ziemianek owed the city for the saw, stand, brace and grinder. Heverling indicated these in the email by highlighting them in yellow, and he asked Ziemianek what else on a list of questioned purchases the director needed to pay for.
“I will reimburse the City for all of the yellow plus the $983.98 and $1,014.27 to get all of this behind me,” Ziemianek replied. The dollar amounts correspond to the two handbooks. The city confirmed that it received that reimbursement.
Heverling outlined his findings in a four-page letter to interim City Manager David Wilbrecht on July 8.
“An immediate formal investigation into Bernie Ziemianek should take place,” Heverling wrote. Wilbrecht placed Ziemianek on paid administrative leave that same day. Four days later, on July 12, Wilbrecht asked Ziemianek to resign, “effective immediately,” according to the city manager’s July 13 email to Blaine City Council members.
The Northern Light first reported Ziemianek’s sudden departure and included the entirety of the director’s resignation letter: “Effective at the close of business day (Tuesday, July 12, 2022), I hereby resign my position as public works director for the city of Blaine.”
Ziemianek is not under criminal investigation for his purchases as public works director, Blaine Police Chief Donnell Tanksley told Cascadia Daily News in an Aug. 17 email.
“I cannot speculate if there will or will not be an investigation in the future,” Tanksley wrote.
In his four-page letter, Heverling said he told Ziemianek that it was improper for a public works director to use a city credit card to purchase tools. Those should be requested by his staff and then purchased after his approval.
Having two people involved in these purchases “ensures proper internal controls” on city spending, Heverling wrote.
The state Auditor’s Office confirmed it is investigating Blaine’s accounting practices.
“The city did report an issue to our office in July,” said Kathleen Cooper, a spokesperson for the Auditor’s Office. “It is our practice not to comment on audits or investigations until they are complete.”
Heverling described in his letter to the city manager how he had confronted Ziemianek about some of the questionable purchases on July 7. Ziemianek told Heverling those were personal purchases he had accidentally charged to the city’s card.
“He nervously stated that he has his credit card numbers memorized and accidentally put this card into the computer when making the charges,” the letter said.
In response to questions Cascadia Daily News sent Ziemianek in an email, the former director said on Aug. 18 that he made several purchases through PayPal, which had stored both his personal and the city credit card numbers.
“I used the Blaine card to pay for various professional engineer courses and other material as required for my job, and agreed to as valid purchases,” Ziemianek wrote.
He went on to explain the purchases that were challenged by the city.
“After making the purchases, I either selected the incorrect card or PayPal had the Blaine card checked as preferred from my last purchase. Either way, the purchases showed up on my Blaine CC. Once these were brought to my attention, I paid them quickly and without hesitation.”
He added, “I have and had no reason for Blaine to pay for any of my personal purchases. Afterwards, I deleted the Blaine CC from PayPal so I never would have that mistake again.”
In the same email, Ziemianek said his resignation was prompted by news that his wife needed aortic bypass surgery.
“I made a quick decision that my wife now needs all my devoted time,” wrote Ziemianek, who was hired in December 2020. “I always told Blaine that I was taking the job just for a short period (a few years) to help them out. Unfortunately, my time needed to be cut short by a major family need.”
The city agreed to pay Zemianek $20,706.64 in unused sick leave and vacation time as part of a separation agreement.
Ziemianek’s annual salary was $120,360.
