Letters to the editor for Aug. 7

Port Executive Director Gibboney must go

Thanks to excellent reporting by Rolf Boone in The Olympian, the public has learned of the grievous mismanagement at the port by Executive Director Sam Gibboney. The first reporting on July 13 revealed a shocking vote of no confidence in the Executive Director by a large number of port employees. Subsequent reporting has described a disturbing behavioral pattern by Gibboney which has produced a toxic work environment. High employee turnover, dishonest communications, and a lack of leadership were cited by the port employees.

Whenever an organizational executive loses the confidence and trust of the employees due to a pattern of unacceptable behaviors, it is incumbent upon the governing board to recognize the intractability of the problem and to take decisive action. However, it appears that our port commissioners are unwilling or unable to confront the reality of Gibboney’s toxic leadership.

Given the lack of staff confidence backed by numerous public comments, the commission needs to take swift action to remove Gibboney. Unfortunately, whether due to naivete or sheer indifference, the port commission chooses to dither with tepid promises of remedial action. It is too late for futile patchwork measures. Like Humpty Dumpty after the fall, the leadership of Gibboney cannot be put back together again.

For the good of the port organization and the public interest, the commission needs to bite the bullet and act decisively. I hope that they have the teeth for this necessary task.

Denis H. Langhans, Olympia

Where is Strickland on monkeypox?

Marilyn Strickland has refused to call the Centers for Disease Control and demand that more doses of the Jynneos vaccine against monkeypox be sent to Washington state. Strickland and her team were notably absent from Olympia Pride, despite the presence of other politicians representing our community. Where is Strickland?

Case counts in King County have jumped from 14 to 100 in a little over a week. If you can drive to Vancouver, B.C., the Canadians will vaccinate you for free, because their politicians cared enough about the lives of LGBT people to order enough vaccine to protect everybody.

However, neither Pierce nor Thurston County Health Departments have any doses of this vaccine at all. We cannot protect our own, because politicians like Marilyn Strickland have flatly refused to protect her LGBT constituents when their health and safety are at risk.

This is an election year. We normally expect our politicians to demonstrate their willingness to serve the needs of the voters at these times. Yet, nobody seems to know where is Strickland?

Pick up the phone, Marilyn. Call the CDC and tell them to send more Jynneos to Washington. And until you do, we will call, email, write, show up at your office and talk openly about your inaction in our time of need to each other. We ask each other where you were when it comes time to vote this year.

Where is Strickland?

David Bart, Olympia

Voting done right in Washington state

My ballot is in the box! It was just that simple; my first vote since moving to Washington last November. Coming from North Carolina, there I may have to show my ID or not, depending on the whim of the state legislature. Here, there is no gauntlet of candidates vying for your attention with signs and hand-outs. There are no polling place hours and locations to remember.

No standing in line — though I do miss saying “thank you” to the election workers and volunteers who worked diligently to provide a smooth process for every voter. But here, you can call the Thurston County Auditor’s office to congratulate the workers behind the scenes for doing their jobs.

Now more than ever, I relish my civic duty that elections are free, fair and safe. And being a new Washingtonian — simple and informative (kudos to the Local Voter’s Pamphlet).

George Burazer, Lacey