QUILCENE — Two of the three Quilcene Fire Department commissioners, David Ward and Mike Whittaker, were asked to resign and refused to do so, Chief Robert Low said Tuesday.
Volunteer firefighters presented a petition to the two commissioners on Monday night asking them to step down, Low said.
The petition was signed by 15 volunteer firefighters, representing about half the department’s staff.
The controversy was over $800 a month the district has paid Ward since January to interpret computer files created by the late Fire Chief Bob Wilson, who died in April 2009 of cancer after serving as chief for 19 years.
Commissioner Julie McLanahan was the third commissioner serving at that time, but she resigned for health reasons in April, Low said.
She was replaced by Commissioner Bob Rosen, who resigned last week, Low said.
Debbie Randall was named at a special meeting Sunday to replace Rosen, and was attending her first meeting as commissioner on Monday.
Ward, Whittaker, Rosen and Randall did not return calls requesting comment Tuesday.
The minutes of the meeting were not ready on Tuesday.
The petition was assembled by volunteer firefighter Harry Goodrich, who Whittaker said on Sunday had applied for the vacancy on the commission.
Both Ward and Whittaker said they would not resign, Low said, but volunteer Michael Eastman, who signed the peition, said he thought Ward said he “would think about it.”
Low said that Ward said he would no longer collect the $800 monthly stipend, and the commissioners voted on a resolution to that effect.
“We’ve been trying to figure this out for months and it gets more confusing every day,” Eastman said.
“Whether Ward’s actions are legal or not, they are wrong.
According to the minutes of the Jan. 11 meeting, after commissioners designated Ward, who is commission chairman, the “chief organizational officer” with the job of deciphering the computer files, they voted to add Ward to a state-sponsored benefits plan.
“No elected official should be able to hire themselves or a member of their family or be able to take an official action that benefits them,” Eastman said.
As of this week, it is uncertain what Ward has acquired from the drives, said Low, who was hired in April.
“We don’t know exactly what is on there,” Low said.
Low said it is likely that many of the files relate to fire department business, and need to be accessed “because when Chief Wilson died a lot of things were in his head.”
Low said “no one knew how to read” the files, which were on technology made by a single company and are no longer readily available.
Ward took on the task, which consisted of purchasing a drive and attempting to read the disks, Low said.
The department has received no data that originated from the drives, he said.
“I am not happy with this situation,” Low said.
“It does not make for a happy fire department, with all this stress and turmoil.
“If this ain’t fun, we shouldn’t be here.”
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
