ISLAND COUNTY: Trust Board appointment stirs political dispute

Jessie Stensland reports from the Island County Board of County Commissioners for the Whidbey News-Times.

Depending on who you ask, political machination or paranoia is at the heart of recent turmoil on a unique board of volunteers appointed by four government partners that are supposed to cooperatively manage Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve.

Island County Commissioner Melanie Bacon’s decision to appoint Kristen Griffen to the Trust Board of Ebey’s Landing drew a lot of reaction in the Central Whidbey community. Griffen is the former Reserve manager and some people felt she wasn’t the right person, especially at a time when the board itself is struggling with its own problems which led to some members, including several long-standing volunteers, to quit over the last year.

The disagreement rose to a full-blown controversy, however, when the current manager of the Reserve, Marie Shimada, wrote an email to the other two commissioners, calling Griffen a divisive figure and asking them not to agree to the appointment.

It is certainly unusual — and some say inappropriate — for an employee of a board to publicly try to influence its makeup, but the fact that Shimada is running against Bacon for commissioner adds another level of intrigue to the issue.

They Said It

In fact, Shimada claims that Bacon appointed Griffen as political payback for running against her…. “I think it’s political retribution from my opponent that is unfolding in my workplace,” she said.

Moreover, Shimada said it’s no coincidence that Mary Engle lost her job as planning director after she endorsed Shimada for commissioner. The commissioners, however, deny this and point out that Engle wasn’t fired, but given a different position with the same pay. Commissioner Janet St. Clair said there is “no intersection” between election year politics and Engle’s new job.

At a dramatic Trust Board meeting last week, Shimada said she wanted the board to consider her complaints against Griffen and two others at a follow-up meeting. She went as far as to say that she wanted a “no contact order” against Griffen, although she clarified that she didn’t mean a court order.

A few days later, Shimada sent an email to the Trust Board withdrawing her complaints.

Bacon said she is bewildered by the controversy and denied any political maneuvering. She said she feels Griffen’s experience, knowledge and passion for the Reserve made her an ideal candidate and someone who can help the Trust Board get through a tough patch. Bacon said it has been a few years years since Griffen was the Reserve manager, which she felt is enough time that it shouldn’t be a problem for her to serve on the board.

In addition, Bacon pointed out that Griffen was the only qualified person to apply for the job.

Pat Powell, a member of the Coupeville Town Council, wrote an email to Bacon, urging her not to appoint Griffen. Powell is the former director of the Whidbey Camano Land Trust.

“It is absolutely agreed by experts in the human resources field that a former manager/director that works for an all volunteer board should never be put on that volunteer board after they leave their position,” she wrote.

At the commissioner May 15 workshop, Bacon spoke briefly about why she felt Griffen would be a good addition to the board. Commissioner Jill Johnson explained that the board’s policy is to accept each commissioner’s appointments to boards; she said she might have a problem if the person was from outside the Reserve, but that’s not the case with Griffen.

Johnson questioned the appropriateness of Shimada’s email. When she was the director of the Oak Harbor Chamber of Commerce, she would never weigh in on who should be on the board, she said.

“I kind of wanted to speak to the fact that it’s a little concerning to me that an employee thinks they get to pick their boss,” she said, adding that there’s a need for “personal development” on the part of the Reserve manager.