Author: Kristie Wells
An examination of documents released by the Incline Village General Improvement District (IVGID) has sparked new lines of inquiry, albeit not necessarily concerning the subject of the initial investigation.
On January 11, 2024, a public records request was lodged with IVGID, seeking copies of all of the Interim Director of Finance Bobby Magee emails from 11/1/2023 to 1/10/2024 going to and from any/all Trustees as well as any communication Magee had with the Audit Chairman Chris Nolet.” (PRR 24-12)
It appears Trustee Sara Schmitz was colluding with Interim Director of Finance, Bobby Magee, to investigate an employee unrelated to the Finance Department.
On November 8, 2023, Director of IT, Mike Gove, extracted a file labeled “AuditLog-01.23-11.08-SAH.csv” from the Barracuda Email Message Archive and forwarded it to Schmitz and Mike Bandelin, the Interim General Manager. The file contained the email search history of Director of Administrative Services, Susan Herron. (The record can be seen here)
Three hours after receiving the log, Schmitz forwarded it to Interim Director of Finance, Bobby Magee, with the note “Mike got it.”
The rationale behind Schmitz’s investigation into Herron’s search history and the subsequent transmission of this information to Magee, who holds no direct oversight over Herron, raises questions. Magee’s interest in Herron’s search activity remains unclear, inviting scrutiny and suspicion.
In a subsequent development, Herron was placed on paid administrative leave a few days later. IVGID initiated an investigation into Herron, lasting approximately 3.5 months and incurring costs estimated to be between $20,000 – $30,000 for the District. (PRR 24-02 and PRR 24-33).
Herron was ultimately exonerated of any wrongdoing and returned to her duties on February 26, 2024, although it is likely that this ordeal resulted in some degree of reputational harm.
Additionally, there are further discoveries to note. Schmitz sent numerous emails to IVGID employees and Bandelin, wherein Magee was included in the BCC, ensuring that his presence in the communication was concealed from other recipients. The reason for this secrecy raises questions; if Magee was intended to be part of the conversation, why not include him as a visible recipient?
Questions regarding the motive behind scrutinizing Herron’s email logs and whether similar actions were taken against other employees remain unanswered. Meetings have been requested with both Schmitz and Magee in an effort to garner clarification around these activities.