State report on Thurston Conservation District recommends 2 board members be removed

After a months-long investigation into leaders of the Thurston Conservation District, state officials are recommending two members of the conservation board of supervisors be removed from office.

Staff for the Washington State Conservation Commission began investigating complaints against board members late last year. In a report released this week, staff recommends the commission remove Eric Johnson, the board’s chairman, and Richard Mankamyer, its auditor.

“(Thurston Conservation District) has seen significant deterioration in fiscal health, accountability and its standing in the community. This deterioration is the result of the actions of Johnson and Mankamyer in their attempts to ‘take back control of the District,’” according to the report.

The report finds Johnson and Mankamyer failed to respond to a public records request, delayed or refused to sign district checks, and prevented the release of board meeting minutes to the public, taking as long as 14 months to approve minutes for release.

Current and former district staff members also told investigators about what they considered inappropriate or intimidating comments and actions by the two; some staff members said they were concerned Johnson and Mankamyer knew where they lived.

Conservation districts are public, non-regulatory agencies that work with landowners to manage land and protect natural resources. Thurston Conservation District has six permanent employees and a budget this year of about $1.2 million.

The report says Johnson used his position on the board to get $42,296 in cost-share funds for the installation of a manure transfer system on his dairy farm. Conservation district supervisors can benefit from district contracts, but can’t use their positions to get special privileges.

The Washington State Conservation Commission can only remove local board members for neglect of duty or malfeasance in office. Johnson and Mankamyer now have 30 days to respond in writing to the report, after which the commission will decide if it wants to hold a public hearing on their removal.

Johnson has been on the board since 2013 and Mankamyer has been on since 2016. They declined to be interviewed as part of the investigation and did not immediately responded to request from The Olympian for comment.

The state report also recommends all board members at the Thurston Conservation District receive training on the Open Public Meetings Act, Public Records Act, ethics for municipal officers and relevant district policies, and that the state commission withhold funding to the district until that happens.

Paul Pickett, who was elected to the board this spring, also has raised concerns about the board’s conduct. He wants Johnson and Mankamyer to resign.

“This is an amazing example of bad governance,” Pickett said, adding he doesn’t fault them for wanting to monitor staff and district spending. “They may have had good intentions, but they handled it really badly.”

While the state commission does not have authority to remove or discipline conservation district staff, the report does note complaints against staff members, including reluctance to implement programs as requested by board members and other efforts to undermine the board.

This story was originally published July 20, 2018 at 4:52 PM.