When Dan Rydalch demanded the badge of a Stockton police officer last week who had the temerity to issue his son a traffic ticket, it wasn't the first time the mayor had suspended or fired an employee with whom he had a beef.

Rydalch later reduced Officer Josh Rowell's punishment to suspension, rather than termination. Former town clerk Ellen Montague wasn't so lucky.

In 2006, Montague, who had worked for the small Tooele County town for 22 years, filed suit in U.S. District Court for Utah against Stockton, claiming Rydalch had violated her constitutional rights to be free from [political] retaliation and illegal searches.

The municipality settled the dispute with Montague in an out-of-court agreement in April 2007. The terms have not been disclosed.

But according to the suit, after Rydalch was elected in November 2005, he "began a period of harassment and punitive actions against [Montague], apparently designed to induce her to quit."

According to the complaint, Rydalch saw the town clerk as a political foe.

The mayor did not return a telephone call Wednesday seeking comment.

Montague, however, did not quit. But on Feb. 24, 2006, she was suspended with pay for two weeks for "interfering with another department."

When Montague returned to work, she was told to take another week off. Seven days later, she was told to take yet another week off, the suit states.

On March 21, 2006, three police

officers executed a search warrant at her house, apparently looking for stolen municipal documents. They found none.

"Rydalch was responsible for having the warrant issued," the suit states.

On March 24, 2006, police returned to Montague's residence, demanding her computer hard drive.

"They didn't find anything," she said in an interview Wednesday.

On April 12, 2006, Rydalch offered Montague $2,000 to resign, according to the suit. She did not take the money.

On April 21, 2006, the mayor demanded her resignation, the suit states, and "explained to her that he had to fight for every change that he made because of her opposition to some of his political goals and because she had campaigned against him when he was running for mayor."

Montague denies campaigning for Rydalch's opponent in 2005, Barry Thomas.

Wednesday Montague said she was saddened but not surprised to learn of Rowell's suspension.

The mayor "needs to grow up and get the chip off his shoulder," she said. "Other than that, I wish him the best."

csmart@sltrib.com