This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Not only was former Salt Lake City Police Chief Chris Burbank forced to resign earlier this month, but now he is being punished even further.
Burbank recently learned he will not receive compensation for the hundreds of hours of sick leave he banked through the years — a perk regularly afforded retiring employees.
City policy allows certain employees to accumulate unused sick leave, then receive payment for that perk when they retire or are laid off.
Under that policy, Burbank would be entitled to about $23,000.
When the ousted chief called human resources last week about his sick-leave compensation, however, he was told Mayor Ralph Becker's staff had ordered the department to deny Burbank that benefit.
In a letter, senior city attorney Jonathan Pappasideris told the former chief he did not qualify for the compensation because he resigned. The policy applies only if an employee retires or is laid off.
The letter didn't note that Burbank essentially had been forced to step down. He was ordered to read publicly a letter in which he shouldered the blame for the handling of last year's sexual-harassment complaints by three women against then-Deputy Chief Rick Findlay.
During a news conference, Burbank was to genuflect to Becker, who is in the midst of a tough re-election campaign, and praise the mayor's wisdom in suggesting how the mess should be handled.
Burbank refused and was given a choice: Resign or be fired.
The senior city attorney's letter rejected Burbank's request that he be allowed to return to the department as a captain and then retire. After all, he has more than enough years to qualify.
The irony: Findlay, the object of the substantiated sexual-harassment complaints, whom Burbank had placed on paid leave and later allowed to retire, collected his sick-leave compensation.
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Homeless man will try again • All sorts of people make up Salt Lake City's homeless population, which can swell to more than 2,000 during the summer.
Many work during the day and vie for a shelter bed at night. Many are families with children who attend school during the day.
But Carl Spencer offers new wrinkle. He has launched his own enterprise downtown, complete with a business license from the city.
He makes "dream catchers" and sells them for about $5 apiece. They are intricately woven circular spider-web-looking creations made from thread and beads. He sets up a table, usually at 100 South and Main, where he makes and markets his creations.
Last week he was robbed.
He left his table briefly to use a nearby restroom. When he returned, his dozen or so dream catchers were gone, along with the cash he kept in a small box. So he's starting over, plying his trade during the day and sleeping under the stars at night.
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Herriman apologizes • Herriman apologized on its Facebook page Monday to anyone who might have been offended by the Sons of Confederate Veterans entry in the southern Salt Lake Valley city's parade Saturday.
Marchers donned Civil War-era Confederate uniforms, carrying muskets and displaying the Confederate flag.
"We would like to express our sincere apologies for any offense this may have caused. The city was not aware that the flag was part of their display," the Facebook message said. "While we understand it may have been meant as a representation of the group's heritage, we also understand the negative message that was felt by spectators and parade participants."
As Monday's column pointed out, the Sons of Confederate Veterans entry appeared in between a float carrying Miss Bluffdale, who is African-American, and Rep. Mia Love, R-Utah, the first black female Republican elected to Congress.