PORT ANGELES — Clallam County has been granted a temporary injunction that prohibits Mary Ellen Winborn from acting as the county’s Community Development Director until either the ongoing legal action is resolved or noon on Dec. 31, 2022, whichever comes first.
The injunction was granted Aug. 23.
Meanwhile, the commissioners have no intention to pursue the process of appointing an interim director given the short time period until the position is filled by voters and the ongoing legal process, Clallam County Administrator Rich Sill wrote in an email.
Richard Meyer was appointed Aug. 2 as the “interim Department of Community Development administrative manager.” He is a former code enforcement officer who most recently served as a supervising analyst for the board of commissioners.
“The court process is dictating the flow of events at this point. There is a concerted attempt to maintain balance within the Department of Community Development as the transition process occurs to the newly elected Director. We await the ruling of the court,” Sill wrote.
Winborn continues to receive her $101,000 annual salary as the matter has been in the hands of the court and it will be a court decision to determine final outcomes, the email stated.
Clallam County Prosecutor Mark Nichols wrote in an email that nothing has been scheduled yet relating to the underlying “quo warranto” action; the two sides must file appropriate pleadings to have the court decide the merits of the case.
Winborn, an elected official, moved to Mississippi in May, but says she remains a resident of Clallam County. Her term ends Dec. 31. She has said she has been visiting the county one day a month and was working remotely until a restraining order was imposed in early August.
Reached by phone in Mississippi, Winborn reiterated that it was the county that initiated legal action and the county has less liability with an experienced person in the position.
“They are the ones suing me. No one even tried to work it out with me,” she said.
”Usually when someone makes a mistake, they get a chance to correct it.
“It took them less than a week to write a letter to vacate my position. I’m not angry with them. I just want them to do what’s right and fair and reasonable,” she said.
Winborn also said that as far as liability, the county was safer having someone in the position who has done it for seven and a half years versus the current interim director, who she characterized as “an ex-cop.”
“I have not left my job. I am under contract to do a job for four years. If your contract expires, a professional continues to do the job. The person with seven and a half years is the best person to do the job,” Winborn said.
She said she had been getting a lot more done because being two hours ahead allowed her to start her day earlier and she also worked longer days because she continued working until the end of the day in Port Angeles.
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Reporter Brian Gawley can be reached at brian.gawley@soundpublishing.coim
