A mysterious suspension continues, with no end in sight. Indeed, an extension looms …
In what has come to be known as “Whitmergate,” Mayor Lisa Borowsky’s chief of staff R. Lamar Whitmer was placed on “non-disciplinary leave” on Jan. 14
As the time period was 30 days, the suspension should have ended Feb. 14, right?
Not quite.
Flanked by two Scottsdale Police officers, City Manager Greg Caton entered Whitmer’s second floor City Hall office around 5:30 p.m. Jan. 14, ordering him to leave the facility.
Caton handed Whitmer a letter titled “Non-Disciplinary Suspension” signed by the city manager, interim city attorney and Human Resources director.
A copy of the letter was obtained by the Progress.
“Under the provisions of Section 14-73 of the Scottsdale Revised Code,” Caton and company inform Whitmer, “you are hereby placed on non-disciplinary suspension with pay for a period of not more than 30 working days.”
The key adjective there is “working.”
Factoring in weekends, Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Presidents Day, Whitmer’s paid suspension thus can run through February.
Extension likely
With the clock winding down on the initial suspension, the Progress asked Caton’s office for an update on the investigation.
“The administrative investigation remains active and ongoing,” Holly Peralta, a city spokewoman, responded late Friday (after the deadline for the Feb. 22 Progress).
“The only update I can provide is that the initial 30-working-day administrative leave period is nearing its conclusion,” she added, “and the city will be initiating the 10-working-day extension consistent with established procedures.”
Based on his $135,000 salary, during the investigation Whitmer will be paid $11,250 – for sitting around and waiting for the phone to ring.
But, wait – there may be more.
Extensions, “if reasonably necessary,” can be in increments of not more than 10 calendar days, the letter notes.
“The paid, non-disciplinary suspension will begin on Jan. 14, 2026, while an investigation into city policy violations is conducted.”
According to a city press release, Borowsky’s right-hand man was suspended “after allegations of policy violations by Mr. Whitmer were received by the interim city attorney and the city manager.”
Whitmer was “placed on paid, non-disciplinary suspension.”
“As recently as Jan. 14,” according to the city press release six days later, “during the workday, new allegations regarding potential policy violations were reported, requiring the paid, non-disciplinary suspension to occur without delay.”
According to the city code cited, a city manager can make a nondisciplinary suspension to “permit an investigation into matters concerning a possible disciplinary action …”
“In determining whether a nondisciplinary suspension or an extension of such suspension is necessary and appropriate,” the code continues, “the responsible general manager or supervisor shall consider, in addition to other relevant factors, whether the employee’s presence on the job or at the work site will hinder or may compromise the investigation and whether an employee’s presence is detrimental to the efficient operation of the work unit or is otherwise detrimental to the public interest.”
Whitmer’s “work unit” consists of himself, Borowsky and Terrance Thornton – Borowsky’s original chief of staff who was demoted to make room for Whitmer.
Demand thuds
Borowsky repeatedly blasted the suspension, saying it “has been done without any disclosure of the allegations or accusations or the accuser. This simply is unjust and violates our Constitution.”
She called a Jan. 21 press conference “to demand that the city attorney disclose exactly what Mr. Whitmer violated in terms of city policy.”
That demand fell on deaf ears.
The suspension letter ordered Whitmer “to be available Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., for all aspects of this investigation.
“Your work location,” the letter commands, “will be your primary residence; you will be available by telephone at all times during your designated work hours …”
In a brief statement to the Progress, Whitmer insisted, “I have no idea what this is about. There’s no basis for any complaint.”
Half-joking that he was “complying with my house arrest,” Whitmer referred questions to his attorney, Dennis Wilenchik – who blasted the suspension as “a fiasco.”
“We know of nothing our client was doing or engaged in that was any violation of any ordinance or city code,” Wilenchik said, “and nothing has been revealed to him at all to enlighten us, let alone any prior warning received.”
Regarding the potential extension, Wilenchik accused Caton and company of “just wasting more time – without a hint of what their facts or basis was.”