IRB Residents Just Have to Wait for the Full Story on Grieshaberby Leo Coughlin INDIAN ROCKS BEACH - Residents who follow city business closely and who had hoped for a swift resolution of the Grieshaber affair are, it now appears, doomed to disappointment. But they are steadfast in their view that all the facts come out and are thoroughly dug in against any idea of a neat, lawyer to lawyer settlement, done and done, thank you, ma'am end game. No, they say, if it does take a lot of time then it is worth that. They say they realize that the tendency, with matters like this, is to grow tired of the tedious case and "move on," get rid of it. They don't want to move on. Time is moving on. It is now six months since Al Grieshaber left Indian Rocks Beach as city manager. And it is five months since Andy Salzman, the city lawyer, sent Grieshaber a letter demanding the return of $13,124.28 because Grieshaber "did not meet the criteria as contained" in his contract. That letter from Salzman is dated February 7, 2007, and also informs Grieshaber that he had "overused" compensation time in the amount of $2,525.76 and this sum was being denied him. Although the letter demanded that these sums be dispatched within seven days to the city, needless to say Grieshaber did no such thing and the case lurched into a legal tussle. That tussle may now take on the patina of Jarndyce v. Jarndyce in Dickens' classic "Bleak House" and go on for a very long time. The latest development in the case, now in court, as reported by Salzman last week is that Grieshaber's lawyer filed a motion to dismiss. A lawyer named Tom Gonzalez is representing Indian Rocks Beach because Salzman cannot. He is a possible witness in the case. After IRB sued Grieshaber to get back its $13,000-plus, he promptly counter-sued seeking the compensatory time he feels he is entitled to. Why he would get compensatory time in the first place is a good question. Comp time is granted usually in lieu of overtime pay. Executives, as a rule, don't get overtime pay. But this is just one of the many things in the contract with Grieshaber that raises a question. As is well known, Grieshaber predicated the payment to him of the $13,000-plus on moving expenses and when asked to do so filed an affidavit that supposedly enumerates the various expenses he should be reimbursed for. That affidavit is a classic in the realm of unsuitable and ludicrous legal documents and is just one of many aspects of the $13,000-plus payment that have the cognoscenti scratching their heads in wonderment. Of course, there is the e-mail submitted by Grieshaber that claims the city attorney authorized payment to him. Salzman denies ever giving any such authorization (and wouldn't have such authority anyway). And Mayor Bill Ockunzzi has publicly stated he knew nothing about nothing until the horse was well out of the barn. In the meantime, those eager to see how this story turns out have to be content with the old saw that says "the wheels of justice grind slowly but exceedingly fine."
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