The Latest: Seattle port CEO secretly gave himself pay raise

SEATTLE (AP) - The Latest on the resignation of the Port of Seattle’s chief executive (all times local):

6:10 p.m.

Documents released by the Port of Seattle show that CEO Ted Fick, who resigned Wednesday, secretly gave himself a $24,500 raise, inappropriately accepted gifts for travel and sporting events and potentially directed port business to his father’s company.

The Port of Seattle released the information found in Ted Fick’s most recent performance review Friday afternoon. Fick had been port CEO for less than three years.

Documents say Fick gave himself the raise, on top of his $350,000 salary, as part of a one-time payment of about $4.7 million to port workers after commission approval. That action is now under scrutiny after an audit determined the port had illegally given that payment.

Commission President Tom Albro told The Associated Press Friday the commission approved the payment as part of a plan to retain employees and believed it to be legal.

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1:45 p.m.

The Port of Seattle’s chief executive has resigned amid an investigation that determined the port had illegally given more than 600 workers some $4.7 million in extra pay.

Kathleen Cooper, a spokeswoman for the Washington State Auditor’s Office, says the extra payments were discovered during a routine, annual audit of the port. Preliminary findings determined that the payments were an unlawful gift of public money under the state Constitution.

The findings were first reported by the Puget Sound Business Journal.

Ted Fick, who had been placed on administrative leave last week, resigned Thursday after less than three years on the job. In a letter of resignation he said he realized he was better suited to the private sector.

Cooper said full audit results won’t be released until the port has a chance to respond. She said the payments were made to 642 non-union, salaried employees.