City Light leaders brief council committee on network‑group investigation; officials announce multiple disciplinary and culture‑change steps

Seattle City Light leaders briefed the Sustainability, City Light and Arts & Culture Committee on an outside investigation into misconduct in the utility’s network group and outlined immediate and longer‑term steps to change workplace culture, increase reporting, and protect employees.

At the committee meeting Don Lindell, general manager and chief executive officer of Seattle City Light, said the network group — part of Transmission and Distribution Operations — had “a pattern of very disturbing and concerning misconduct.” Lindell told the committee the utility worked with the press to announce the investigation publicly and described actions already taken and planned to improve safety and accountability.

Scope and disciplinary outcomes City Light provided the committee with counts and outcomes from the inquiry: the utility has about 1,800 employees; the network group has roughly 90 members; City Light said 40 employees were investigated in connection with the inquiry. Lindell reported disciplinary outcomes including five terminations, seven suspensions, nine written warnings and 13 employees assigned training. Lindell said apprentices in the group reported feeling pressured to drink “in order to succeed in the program.”

Steps already taken and planned City Light…