Inslee, other WA officials call on Insurance Commissioner to resign after staffer was fired
Gov. Jay Inslee and other officials in Washington state are calling on Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler to resign after his office fired a top aide Tuesday after the aide made whistleblowing complaints.
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.
By Friday, pressure started to build, with at least eight officials including Gov. Jay Inslee asking the elected Commissioner, a Democrat, to resign.
“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 that said they were “deeply disappointed and troubled” by Kreidler’s actions earlier this year, and had hoped his apologies and training efforts were sincere.
“But it is now abundantly clear: He learned nothing. Employees must be able to report wrongdoings without fear of retaliation. It’s a fundamental component of workers’ rights,” they said in a joint statement. “To fire a whistleblower — someone who had the courage to step forward in the first place — is not only unacceptable and unethical, but directly goes against the Democratic values of our party, which is committed to protecting workers and creating safe working environments.
“Mike has lost the trust of his employees — and his party. He can no longer faithfully serve the people of Washington state, and we call for him to step down,” the party leaders wrote.
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.”
Several lawmakers — including 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.
Braun called the Commissioner’s actions “unacceptable” and said they were “the final straw.”
“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.”
Braun added that Kreidler must face accountability for his actions and to “do the right thing” by stepping down immediately.
Democratic Sen. Majority Leader Andy Billig from Spokane also released a statement Thursday.
“I had serious concerns regarding the Insurance Commissioner following the initial troubling reports of his behavior toward OIC employees,” Billig said. “Now that he’s decided to fire the employee who had the courage to come forward in the first place, it’s become clear that the Insurance Commissioner did not learn from these past incidents and I believe it is time for him to step down.”
Kreidler, a six-term elected official and former U.S. congressman, has so far said he will not leave office, despite leaders’ calls for him to do so. His office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from McClatchy on Friday.
Kreidler’s term ends in 2025. He will be up for re-election in 2024. If he were to resign, Inslee would appoint someone to replace him until the next election.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 19 states including Washington allow recall elections where citizens can attempt to remove an elected leader at any time.
This story was originally published June 17, 2022 at 1:09 PM with the headline "Inslee, other WA officials call on Insurance Commissioner to resign after staffer was fired."
