‘This is not the right thing to do’: Severance for former senior BD official raises eyebrows

Published 11:00 am Friday, April 3, 2026

CORRECTION: The Courier-Herald misreported that final vote on Andy Williamson’s severance to be 6-1. It was 4-1; Council member Mario Sorci was absent and another recently resigned. The article has been corrected and his comments have been added.

Concerns have been raised about the recent exit of Andy Williamson from the city of Black Diamond.

It’s unclear whether Williamson, formerly the Master Development Review Team (MDRT) leader overseeing the Ten Trails neighborhood development, left voluntarily or if he was fired; the Courier-Herald was unable to contact him for comment.

Mayor John Alder said the city received a complaint about Williamson, which was “independently reviewed.”

“The findings did not substantiate the claims as alleged. Following that process, the parties agreed to a separation,” he said, declining to comment further.

Williamson’s last day of employment was Feb. 27.

The Black Diamond City Council attempted to approve a severance on March 17; however, the vote was improper due to the fact that not enough council members were present to approve an unexpected budget expenditure.

The vote was approved 3 – 2, with no explanation to why the vote was split.

The severance was correctly approved during a March 31 meeting by a 4 – 1 vote; Council member Mario Sorci was absent, and another recently resigned.

Some council members commented on why they voted “no” during the last vote, and why they changed their minds the second time around.

After public comment, council members went into executive session to discuss the severance.

Once they returned to their seats, a motion and second to approve the severance were made, but Council member Sara Nielsen called for further discussion before the vote; she previously voted “no” on the severance.

“My concerns haven’t really been cleared or addressed. I still have concerns about the situation we’re in, the process, especially that I didn’t have access to the agreement before the prior vote,” she said. “That being said, I understand the legal and financial risk to this city and to the taxpayers if this isn’t resolved, so I’m going to support this tonight.”

Council member Darcey Peterson said that the council isn’t “turning a blind eye to things that are not ideal; it’s a balancing act of money either a known amount or an unknown amount that could be exponentially huge.”

Council member Dan DalSanto was the only council member to vote “no” on the severance the second time around.

“This is not the right thing to do,” he said. “…[I]t’s nothing personal at all.”

In a separate email interview, Sorci said that he also would have voted “no” on the severance if he was present.

Council member Tamie Deady said “this is the right way to go for many reasons.”

The severance agreement includes six months of pay, nearly $76,000.