Ex-port commissioner Joe Downing urges commission to help address ‘disgruntled’ staff
The Port of Olympia commission took two key steps on Monday: They elected officers and expanded the role of the vice president.
Bob Iyall was named president of the commission for the year, while newcomer Jasmine Vasavada accepted the role of vice president. Sarah Tonge was named secretary.
Former commissioner Joe Downing, who spoke during public comment, suggested a role for the president and vice president: When the port’s executive director becomes dissatisfied with a senior-level port employee, the director should have to meet with them before taking another step.
Downing raised this point because he said during his tenure as commissioner, seven employees left the port with what he called “walking away” money.
He said the port pays a lot of money to an insurance company, and then that company and the port decide to give “disgruntled employees walking away money.”
Of the seven employees, four of them found other work, he said, but there was one employee “whose discharge I strongly felt should not have been paid.” But Downing said there was no mechanism at the time to tell the executive director not to discharge that employee.
He said the president and vice president should work with the executive director in those moments. Downing acknowledged it might infringe on the role of the executive director, but still could be helpful.
The commission did not consider Downing’s idea on Monday, but did vote to approve an expanded role for the vice president that was first suggested by Vasavada. The vice president will now work with the president and executive director in setting and reviewing meeting agendas, including work sessions.
Previously, just the president and executive director met to discuss agendas.
Although the motion was approved, Iyall said the president’s role is to be the voice of the whole commission.
“It’s not the president’s agenda that is coming forward, it is the commission’s agenda,” he said, adding that there are other opportunities for commissioners to suggest meeting agenda items. They include the “other business” portion of the regular meetings, or now that there are five commissioners, they can talk more freely to each other without violating a quorum rule, he said.
One resident took issue with Iyall’s comments.
“To say that one person is the voice of the entire commission, I’m sorry, that gives me heartburn,” Lee Riner said.
This story was originally published January 23, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
