EDITOR’S NOTE — To clarify, this article (in the third paragraph from the end) was revised Dec. 12, 2011, to reflect a full quote from former Port Angeles City Council member Larry Williams about Headrick’s remarks. The original paragraph said only that Williams felt that Headrick’s words were “genuine.”
PORT ANGELES — Former Port Angeles Mayor Richard Headrick, who died in his sleep Wednesday afternoon, was remembered Thursday by two colleagues as a model mayor.
“I think he was well-balanced,” said former Councilman Larry Williams. “He didn’t come down on one side or the other in terms of political views.”
Former Councilman and Mayor Gary Braun, who also served with Headrick, 74, called him a “fine gentleman” and friend.
“I think Richard was a fine example of what mayors should be,” Braun said.
His brother, Jack Headrick of Sequim, said he had no known illnesses and the death came as a surprise.
Natural causes are suspected, his brother said.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
Richard Headrick, also a former Clallam County District Court judge, was elected to one term on the City Council, which he served from 2002-2005, after his time on the bench.
He served as the council-appointed mayor in 2004-2005.
He was defeated in the 2005 election by Betsy Wharton, then was returned to the council in March 2006 as an appointee to replace Councilman Jack Pittis, who had died a month prior. He served in that position through 2007 and did not seek re-election.
Headrick’s tenure had its share of controversy.
He served during the unearthing of Tse-whit-zen, the 2,400-year-old Klallam village uncovered during construction of a graving yard to build replacement components for the floating Hood Canal Bridge, and at the introduction of fluoride into the city’s drinking water.
After the graving yard project had been dropped by the state, Headrick — who supported construction of the huge onshore dry dock by the state Department of Transportation — commented in 2005 that the Lower Elwha Klallam tribe could not be trusted and had cast “the future of the city’s entire waterfront into doubt.”
In 2004, during a speech before the Port Angeles Chamber of Commerce, he threatened to turn water off to Gales Addition in the unincorporated area just past the eastern city limit if the Clallam County Public Utility District did not sign a water contract with the city that supported annexation of the area.
A Mason County judge sided with the PUD on the issue.
Williams, who now lives in Omak, said he thinks Headrick got a lot of “unfair hits” over the statement, which reflected his “very dry sense of humor.”
“He was not serious about marching over there and turning off the water,” Williams said, though adding that the city would have ended water service if a water sale agreement with the PUD couldn’t be reached.
In regard to Headrick’s statement on Tse-whit-zen, Williams said: “I think Richard was being genuine in the context of what was happening at the time.”
PUD Commissioner Hugh Haffner said the dispute with the city didn’t create any lasting bad blood between the two public entities.
“The court decided it, and we went on with water issues the way we did before,” he said.
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.
