SEQUIM — East Clallam County and Gardiner-area residents still will need to drive to Port Angeles or Port Townsend to register their vehicles for another two months while a new licensing agent is trained and completes paperwork.
But Clallam County Auditor Patty Rosand said residents should again be able to take care of auto and boat licensing in Sequim by around Halloween or Election Day.
Suzan Mansfield was announced in August as the replacement for agent Karen Shewbert, whose contract with the county was ended in May.
Rosand said: “We are excited that this appointment has been approved by the director of [the state Department of Licensing] and that we are one step further in restoring service to Sequim customers.”
The Sequim Licensing Office will be located in a wheelchair-accessible building in the mall anchored by J.C. Penney at 645 W. Washington St.
Mansfield and an employee must complete a certification process with the state Department of Licensing before the new subagency can open.
The certification course can take as long as 10 weeks.
Mansfield formerly operated the subagency in Sequim, Rosand said.
“She did an excellent job serving the citizens of Sequim in the past, and I am sure she will in the future,” the auditor said.
Shewbert operated the Sequim Vehicle/Vessel Licensing Office for 12 years before Rosand terminated her contract and shut the office down in May.
Shewbert appealed the termination to the Department of Licensing, which formed a dispute review board that heard testimony during a two-day hearing in Port Angeles in June.
The board upheld the termination over what Rosand said were constant disagreements regarding Shewbert’s accounting practices, including her refusal to use accounting software compatible with what the Auditor’s Office uses.
Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arwyn.rice@peninsuladailynews.com.
