QUILCENE — If two Quilcene Fire Department commissioners do not resign by noon today, a citizens group will initiate a petition for their recall, the group said Wednesday night.
The commissioners had called a meeting to accept Chief Bob Low’s resignation, which was submitted June 23.
About 50 people attended the meeting, which was held in the Bob Wilson Station, named for the former chief who died of cancer in 2009.
The fire department has been troubled with allegations of improper conduct by Commissioners Mike Whittaker and Dave Ward over the board’s creating an $800-a-month job for Ward in January 2010.
At the beginning of the meeting, former Commissioner Bob Rosen asked the two commissioners to resign and said if they did not by noon today, a recall petition would be initiated.
Port Townsend attorney Peggy Ann Bierbaum, a Quilcene resident, said she had already drafted the petition and was prepared to submit it to the Jefferson County Auditor’s Office.
Asked to resign
Asked directly if they would resign, Whittaker said, “I’ll get back to you,” while Ward said he hadn’t decided yet.
During one hour of public comment, all but three speakers called on the commissioners to resign and for Low to reconsider his resignation.
Two of them spoke in favor of the commissioners, while the third, Bob Wilson’s widow, Veda Wilson, implored all parties to “make one last effort to work things out.”
Wilson said she was close to Ward, Whittaker and Low.
She said she was strongly opposed to any recall action “because it would tear the community apart.”
The board named Assistant Chief Bob Moser the interim chief and made plans to begin the selection of a permanent chief July 11.
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.