WASHINGTON
Yakima Herald-Republic
By JANE GARGAS
YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC
Suppose you're the CEO of a substance-abuse counseling agency. One day, in a routine cleaning of company lockers, a half-full bottle of whiskey is found hidden in an employee's backpack. The owner of the backpack, a model employee, is presumed to be a teetotaler; drinking is verboten, whether at work or not. You know of no complaints against this person, who has a high-profile position in the agency, nor is there any evidence that he drank the whiskey. It's possible that someone else had access to the backpack. Could the existence of this bottle compromise his position working with teens and children in any way? If you fire the employee, he may never be able to work in a substance-abuse facility again. If you transfer the employee, the problem, if there is one, may not be resolved. If you talk to the other employees and clients about finding the whiskey, the man's name may be tarnished forever, whether he's guilty or not. What do you do?
That, in a highly simplified version, is similar to the situation Bishop Carlos Sevilla of the Catholic Diocese of Yakima recently faced. In fact, the bishop has been grappling with a much more nuanced and complex problem. Not just that — it's turning into a roiling controversy.
"It's a can of worms," said Cathy Ball, a West Valley teacher, mother of four and a 30-year parishioner at St. Joseph's Catholic Church.