WA Insurance Commissioner won’t resign, he tells governor and other officials
Facing increasing pressure from other state leaders to step down from his elected position, Washington state Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler said Friday afternoon that he has no intention to resign.
“I intend to continue serving alongside the dedicated people of our agency and to work on the important consumer protection issues ahead,” he said in a statement.
Calls for his resignation began Thursday after Kreidler was accused of retaliating against a whistleblowing aide who was fired Tuesday. Gov. Jay Inslee joined in early Friday afternoon, issuing a statement saying Kreidler was “unable to fulfill his leadership responsibility.”
It didn’t take long for Kreidler’s office to respond after the governor’s statement.
In the Commissioner’s statement, he said that although he generally respected the governor’s perspectives, he disagreed with Inslee’s “conclusion regarding my ability to continue my duties as an independently elected official.”
Jon Noski, the now former legislative director for the Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC), initially filed a formal complaint against Kreidler in February after Noski asserted that Kreidler had been “bullying” him and “antagonizing” other staff members. Northwest News Network first reported on Kreidler’s behavior towards staffers in early March. Kreidler was also accused of using racist slurs in his office.
On Tuesday, Noski returned from medical leave and was fired from OIC, with no explanation offered, according to the Northwest News Network report.
“I cannot comment on the details of an individual personnel matter but the conclusion that an important and valued employee’s departure was because he filed a complaint against me is not true and does not reflect the full context of the story,” said Kreidler in the statement.
Kreidler said he took “full responsibility” for his past behavior, and said he recognized that his behavior has impacted those around him and the people he serves.
“I have pledged to do better and stand by that commitment,” he said.
Statewide leaders from both parties began calling for Kreidler’s resignation on Thursday, and Inslee joined the chorus on Friday.
“Commissioner Kreidler assured his employees and the public he would work to improve his relationship with staff, but instead he terminated an employee who spoke out about these issues,” Inslee said in a statement issued Friday afternoon. “All staff deserve respect regardless of their at-will status. Therefore it’s my belief we need different leadership in this position and I believe he should resign.”
Democratic State Party Chair Tina Podlodowski and Vice Chair David Green issued a press statement on Friday.
“Mike has lost the trust of his employees — and his party,” they said in a joint statement. “He can no longer faithfully serve the people of Washington state, and we call for him to step down.”
On Friday morning, House Minority Leader J.T. Wilcox, a Republican from Yelm, used Twitter to call on Kreidler to resign.
“Although he has had an impressive career in service, including many years of military service, it will be overshadowed by his bad behavior towards quality staff members and clinging to office far beyond a reasonable term,” the tweet from Wilcox said. “I’ve known Jon Noski (the fired staffer) for years and I’ve heard some things from him that I didn’t want to hear. It made me respect him more. The Commissioner could cap his career by being a humble example of holding himself accountable.”
A bipartisan group of state Senators including Republican John Braun from Centralia, Democrat Mark Mullet from Issaquah and Republican Perry Dozier from Waitsburg released a statement Thursday encouraging the Commissioner to resign.
“As elected officials, we are responsible for creating a respectful workplace and ensuring the men and women we work alongside to serve the public are treated with dignity,” Braun said. “We should be rewarding staff who are brave enough to speak up when they witness illegal or unethical behavior, not trying to silence and fire them.”
The six-term Democratic Commissioner was first elected to office in 2000, and assumed office in 2001. He was most recently re-elected in 2020 and his term will end in 2025.
If he were to resign, Inslee would appoint someone to replace him until the next election.
This story was originally published June 17, 2022 at 3:10 PM with the headline "WA Insurance Commissioner won’t resign, he tells governor and other officials."
