SPOKANE, Wash. —
Friday, the City of Spokane confirmed with KREM 2 Johnnie Perkins was placed on administrative leave while investigators looked into employee concerns about him.
Monday, KREM 2 reached out to city council members, the Mayor’s office, Perkins's assistant, the city HR department and even Perkins, himself, to ask for more clarity on the investigation.
Council member Zack Zappone said he knows of the investigation, but not of any additional details. Council president Breean Beggs said he also doesn’t know a lot, but is expecting an update from the mayor Tuesday, June 27.
At this time, the city said it’s unable to provide more details until the investigation has concluded.
This is the second time Perkins has been on the receiving end of criticism from City of Spokane employees.
Cupid Alexander Investigation:
June 2021, former Spokane housing director Cupid Alexander claimed Perkins treated him differently because of his race.
Alexander also claimed Perkins would leave him out of meetings to force him out of his role sooner than his announced end date.
The city called in an independent investigator to look into Cupid's claims.
By October 2021, the investigation found no evidence of racial discrimination.
101 Ash Street Woes:
Even before that, Perkins came to Spokane with some unfinished business.
He worked for the City of San Diego between 2018 and 2020. He first took a role as the city’s Deputy Chief Operating Officer. In that role, he absorbed the lead on a controversial land development project.
The city was looking to move its workers into a building with asbestos violations and other health concerns. Our San Diego sister station, CBS 8, reports the city knew the building had problems.
Years later and millions of dollars wasted, the building is still vacant. Headaches around the property still continue for the city to this day.
Perkins was moved into the city's environment services department, following the situation.
He then moved to Spokane to become city administrator, starting April 2021.
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