Legislative aide pay questioned

JUNEAU — State officials could not immediately say Thursday whether a staffer for a local state senator is still on the state payroll despite an assault conviction and months of treatment at an out-of-state inpatient clinic.

Deborah Grundmann, 59, has worked off and on at the Alaska Legislature since 1985 and with gross pay of $10,404 a month, is among the top-paid current legislative staffers, according to a list published last week in the Juneau Empire.

Grundmann has worked for Sen. Charlie Huggins (R-Wasilla) and the Senate Majority since 2005, according to Skiff Lobaugh, human resources manager for the Legislative Affairs office.

Grundmann was arrested Dec. 1, 2014, by Juneau Police after an incident at a home along Riverside Drive in Juneau when she pointed a gun at her roommate, who fled the house, according to a report written by police detective Sterling Salisbury.

Grundmann and an unidentified nephew at the scene told police the gun was unloaded, though the victim told Juneau Police Grundmann’s nephew had to wrestle his gun out of his aunt’s hands.

Although police originally charged Grundmann with third-degree assault, a Class-C felony, the charge was later reduced to fourth-degree assault, a Class-A misdemeanor. Grundmann pleaded guilty and court records show she ultimately received a 180-day suspended sentence, and was ordered to pay the roommate $3,371.81 in restitution, serve 36 months’ probation, and have no-contact order with her former roommate.

As a condition of her release, she also was ordered to enroll at The Meadows, a residential treatment program in Phoenix, Arizona. Grundmann had completed inpatient treatment by April 2, and was undergoing aftercare in Seattle, according to transcripts from her change-of-plea hearing.

The Meadows treats numerous conditions, ranging from love avoidance and love addiction to alcohol addiction. Court testimony refers to trauma arising from her father’s February 2014 death.

Citing potential violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, Lobaugh said he couldn’t say whether the Family Medical Leave Act, which allows for up to 18 weeks of absence in the event of medical conditions, played a role.

He said he would need to seek legal advice before confirming whether Grundmann received full or partial pay following her arrest.

“You can assume somebody’s on leave if they’re not, or they’re defaulting leave without pay, or there’s discipline, or something going on if they don’t get a full check … it doesn’t even have to be discipline,” he said.

The results of that legal opinion would likely take multiple working days to complete, Lobaugh said.

He could confirm that Grundmann was authorized to receive a paycheck, and remained in the employ of the state of Alaska as of Thursday morning.

While staffers can sometimes be paid to work remotely, personal phones and electronic communications devices are confiscated upon admission to The Meadows, according to the clinic’s website. Grundmann attended her change-of-plea hearing via phone from Gig Harbor, Washington, according to the hearing transcripts.

Court documents thus appear to suggest that between her Dec. 3 release from Lemon Creek jail in Juneau and her April 2 plea hearing, it would have been impossible for Grundmann to report to work in person either in Juneau, where the regular session concluded in late April, or Anchorage, where legislators passed a fully funded budget Thursday after months of deadlock.

“Grounds for termination for exempt employees (at-will) are taken on a case-by-case bases, and are the discretion of the appointing authority,” Lobaugh said.

In the Senate, Huggins, who is the Rules Committee chairman, is among the “appointing authorities.” And Senate President Sen. Kevin Meyer is listed as the interim appointing authority.

A representative from Huggins’ office referred questions to Lobaugh, citing personnel privacy concerns. Several calls to Huggins’ personal cellphone seeking comment went unreturned Thursday afternoon.

A message also was sent to Grundmann’s Facebook page Thursday seeking comment. The page, which had not posted a status update since October 2014, was no longer online Thursday afternoon. Grundmann’s Twitter status had also not been updated since October 2014. Messages seeking comment Thursday went unanswered.

Calls to the prosecutor in the case also went unreturned Thursday afternoon.

Grundmann had no court record — civil or criminal — prior to the assault charge, according to court records.

Contact Brian O’Connor at 352-2269, brian.oconnor@frontiersman.com, or on Twitter @reporterbriano.