PORT ANGELES — The William Shore Memorial Pool District announced Tuesday that Steve Burke is its “candidate of interest” for its new executive director.
Burke, a member of the district’s advisory committee, was one of three finalists the district’s commission interviewed Tuesday for the job at the public pool, located at 225 E. Fifth St. in Port Angeles.
The other two candidates are Anna Manildi, former executive director of the Juan de Fuca Festival of the Arts, and Wendy Burwell, a swim instructor.
Executive session
Commission President Mike Chapman said the board came to a consensus in executive session to conduct a background check on Burke in preparation for negotiating a proposed employment contract.
But he said that does not mean the commission has picked its new director.
“There has been no job offer,” Chapman said. “We just said there is someone we would like a background check on.”
Chapman, who is also a county commissioner, said he expects the commissioners to make that decision at its Tuesday, Nov. 23, meeting.
Each of the three finalists spent time at the pool last week, and staff provided feedback on the candidates for the pool district.
Unlike past managers of the pool, under ownership of both the district and the city of Port Angeles, the new director will work a part-time schedule.
Marketing tasks
His or her tasks will be more skewed toward marketing the pool and developing programs rather than day-to-day management of the facility.
The director’s pay may be about half of the $60,000 its former interim director, Jayna Lafferty, was paid.
Lafferty, a full-time employee, resigned effective Oct. 21 after a dispute over work hours with Chapman.
The commissioners were already planning to hire a permanent director in November before they became at odds. Citing the reduced hours and pay, Lafferty, who had been the pool’s administrator since July 2007, declined to apply for the job.
Settlement
In a settlement agreement with Lafferty, the district agreed to pay the interim director her salary and benefits for the rest of her contract, which was set to expire Dec. 31. That amounted to $18,500.
Chapman said the district, under advice from its attorney, had to compensate Lafferty for the rest of her contract because the document didn’t address what would happen if she resigned.
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.
