FAIRBANKS — An attorney for former U.S. Senate candidate Joe Miller spent Tuesday questioning several Fairbanks North Star Borough employees about borough record-keeping practices, media leaks and political leanings as part of a lawsuit that has lingered long past the 2010 campaign.

Miller is suing the borough and former Mayor Jim Whitaker, saying confidential parts of his personnel file were leaked to the media during the campaign. Details about his work as a part-time borough attorney emerged, including his ineligibility for rehire and discipline for improperly using borough computers. Lisa Murkowski ultimately won a write-in campaign to reclaim the Senate seat over Miller, who was the Republican candidate, and Democrat Scott McAdams.

Miller said some of the actions by Whitaker and Borough Attorney Rene Broker were meant simply to sabotage his campaign. He said he sees the lawsuit as a way to hold the borough accountable for maintaining confidential records.

“I think current and future employees of the borough deserve better,” he said.

As part of the lawsuit, Miller’s attorney, John Tiemessen, spent the day in a deposition with assistant borough attorney Cynthia Klepaski, legal secretary Andrea Fields and human resources director Sallie Stuvek.

Much of the day was spent poring over the borough Code of Ethics, which includes rules for the release of personnel information. One heavily scrutinized section states: “A current or former mayor or employee may not disclose or use, without appropriate authorization, information acquired in the course of official duties that is confidential by law.”

Whitaker gave an interview to the News-Miner in 2010 about Miller’s work with the borough, saying Miller had acted criminally by misusing borough computers. Stuvek testified Whitaker hadn’t been given authorization to disclose any information beyond that contained in a limited collection of public documents.

A judge later authorized a much broader release of Miller’s borough records, citing public interest in the background of a major political candidate.

Miller also had a written agreement with the borough to remove from his file a disciplinary letter regarding the computer incident after two years. If the borough had followed that timeline, the letter wouldn’t have appeared among the documents released to the media.

Stuvek said her office doesn’t follow through with letter-removing procedures if an employee has stopped working for the borough, since those files are subsequently moved to storage. She said that practice isn’t part of a formal written policy.

“That’s something that, as a result of this, we’ll be taking a harder look at,” Stuvek said.

Tiemessen also asked Klepaski and Fields whether political discussions were common in the borough legal department, and whether there were negative reactions to Miller’s U.S. Senate run or toward Tammie Wilson, a former borough mayor candidate and Miller supporter.

Klepaski and Fields agreed that politics were occasionally discussed in the office, but said the comments weren’t critical. Klepaski said she didn’t know the political leanings of her co-workers.

“We try hard to talk about an issue without saying how somebody should vote,” she said.

The deposition included numerous questions about Whitaker, including whether he was a regular visitor to the borough legal department and if he had access to personnel files. Stuvek said borough files are tightly controlled — only three employees have keys to the room where records are kept.

A Jan. 27 deposition is scheduled for Broker and Assistant Borough Attorney Jill Dolan. Tiemessen said he hasn’t decided if Whitaker will be deposed in the future.

Miller, who declined to say how he was paying his legal fees, said the lawsuit is his opportunity to add clarity to some of the much-publicized incidents that happened during his time at the borough.

“I think that only one side of the story was told,” he said.

Miller’s lawsuit is an offshoot of a case that media organizations, including the News-Miner, filed against the borough before the 2010 election seeking a wider release of Miller’s employment records. The media prevailed in their case, but Miller — who joined the original lawsuit as an intervening party — has continued the suit against the borough and Whitaker.

The News-Miner was allowed to have a representative at the deposition because it is still tied to the lawsuit.

Contact staff writer Jeff Richardson at 459-7518.