Former Westmoreland purchasing department director, county agree to separation agreement

The director of Westmoreland County’s purchasing department who was suspended in February was allowed to resign under a separation agreement approved by the commissioners.

The agreement offers no details about why Daniel Ellingsen, who was hired in mid-November, was suspended. He first was placed on paid leave and later the suspension was changed to unpaid, officials said.

The separation agreement calls for Ellingsen to be paid for unused sick and vacation days, though it did not provide an amount or dollar figure.

“Employee and employer acknowledge that employee would be terminated but for this agreement,” the document states. “Employer is providing employee with an opportunity to resign in lieu of immediate termination, and this is a valuable consideration to employee.”

Ellingsen’s last day of employment with the county was Feb. 26, according to the agreement which was obtained Thursday by TribLive under the state’s Right-to-Know Law. All three county commissioners declined to comment on the agreement after approving it last week.

Ellingsen had been earning an annual salary of just under $70,000. Officials have declined to comment on the nature of his departure, but said no criminal behavior is alleged.

The purchasing office buys supplies for county offices and oversees the courthouse mail room and print shop.

The embattled department has seen two of its directors suspended in less than a year.

Former director Kristopher Cardiff and his top assistant were fired in August amid allegations related to unauthorized raises.

Cardiff, 47, of Trafford, was charged late last year with felony and misdemeanor theft offenses and is free on bond as he awaits trial. A pretrial conference is set for April 25. He has denied the allegations and maintains he believed he had permission from county officials to authorize raises for himself and his staff.

Investigators said the theft totaled about $10,000 that was distributed among Cardiff, his assistant and four other staffers. The assistant has not been charged and she has cooperated with investigators.