Pool district terminates its executive director

Published 2:00 pm Friday, May 15, 2026

PORT ANGELES — The Shore Aquatic Center board has voted to terminate Steve Burke from its executive director position.

The board voted Tuesday to terminate Burke, who had been on paid administrative leave since Oct. 28.

In three reports released Nov. 3, state auditors identified significant weaknesses in the William Shore Pool District’s accounting practices, little financial oversight, lax internal controls and incomplete records, as well as improper self-insurance medical payments and Burke’s credit card use.

According to a fraud report covering transactions between Feb. 21, 2019, and March 31, 2025, state auditors concluded that Burke had received $19,067 in self-insurance payments, including a single $9,000 check that was not supported by the medical receipts, $14,338 from a Social Security tax refund that belonged to the district and $7,743 in personal credit card charges such as fuel purchases, travel expenses and an oil change for his wife’s car.

A letter approved by the board terminated Burke’s contract effective immediately.

In the letter, the board addressed several financial stipulations.

The first is that the board disagreed with an assertion from Burke that he is due $182,595.95.

In the second stipulation, the board recognized that Burke, through his attorney, returned $14,338 to the William Shore Pool District after a fraud investigation by the state auditor noted the amount was erroneously allocated directly to him.

The board also addressed Burke’s credit card use in the letter.

“Based on the audit and pool records and your contract allocating $250/month for transportation cost, it appears you utilized the card to maximum amount through when you were placed on administrative leave and ceased your work duties,” the letter states. “This results in no additional money being due to you for this expense.”

According to Burke’s employment contract, he was to receive $4,500 per year toward benefits, the letter stated, adding that he utilized those funds for medical expenses, direct payments and “a host of other payments.”

“For the audit from February 2019 through November 2025, payment according to the contract would amount to $31,500,” the letter stated. “Again, according to the audit report, you received payments in the amount of $27,803. This leaves a balance of $3,697 to your account.”

Burke’s contract entitles him to a severance payment of six months’ compensation, which totals $37,073.

The letter also addressed that not all issues are currently resolved.

“There may be other issues to reconcile based on further investigations,” the letter stated. “Since these are not issues that can be resolved currently, there may be a need to resolve these concerns at a later date.”

The state auditor’s office forwarded the case to the Clallam County prosecuting attorney’s office, which cited a conflict of interest and forwarded it to the state Attorney General’s Office. The Attorney General’s Office has not announced if any charges will be filed.

Burke has since resigned his elected position on the Port of Port Angeles board. He announced his resignation effective May 1 after fellow port commissioners Connie Beauvais and Colleen McAleer moved to formally censure him.

The censure would have removed Burke from leadership roles and committee assignments.

________

Reporter Emily Hanson can be reached by email at emily.hanson@peninsuladailynews.com.