FORKS –The new Forks mayor said he fired Police Chief Mike Powell last Monday because of a failure to communicate.
Specifically, Powell posted a job opening for a police sergeant’s position without the knowledge of then-Mayor-elect Byron Monohon.
“Many errors were made,” Monohon said of a promotion he overturned after taking office Jan. 1.
“There were so many improprieties on how the interview was done and how the job was posted that we pulled it back to Square 1. It was very unfortunate.”
Monohon fired Powell, who had been the police chief since 2001, on Monday.
“It is always a tough time when there is a transition from one administration to another administration,” said Monohon, who was elected Forks mayor in November.
He succeeded Nedra Reed, who retired at the end of December after eight years as mayor.
Unlike Port Angeles and Sequim, Forks operates a “strong mayor” form of government in which the mayor manages the city and has the power to hire and fire staff. The mayor’s job pays $1 a year.
“I felt I had the obligation to make sure I respected Nedra as mayor,” Monohon said Friday.
“I would have hoped, during this transition, that Chief Powell would have used this as an opportunity to build bridges and to be very careful as to dotting I’s and T’s and making sure that everything was done correctly.”
Instead, Monohon said, Powell “didn’t do a good job following the chain of command” by posting the job opening without Mononon’s knowledge.
Furthermore, he said that the job posting “was not done correctly.”
“He instigated a personnel move,” Monohon said.
“Our human resources director was on vacation. The personnel decision was made on an incredibly fast timeline for a reason I did not know. It was handled incredibly poorly.”
Powell’s response
For his part, Powell said the sergeant’s position was posted and tested for prior to Monohon taking office.
“There were several minor technical errors made. However, they were accumulated minor errors by a few people and a few different departments,” Powell said in a written response to Monohon’s comments.
Powell said the promotion was made with the concurrence of Reed, who was still mayor at the time.
It was supposed to take effect Jan. 1.
“The start date made it easier for payroll for the affected changes,” Powell wrote. “Mayor Reed was out of town on Dec. 31 and was not able to sign the paperwork before she left office.”
Powell said the Civil Service Commission made the final decision on who was eligible for the promotion.
“I was unaware of what was going on,” Monohon said.
“There had been no communication with me. I found I came into office, and I already had a mess on my hands from what had been done over the course of the last month.”
“He certainly did not involve me in any of the work he was doing,” Monohon said of Powell.
“I believe we need to have somebody to fix this department, and I did not believe he had the leadership to be able to do that.”
Deputy Police Chief Lloyd Lee was appointed acting police chief last Monday, the day Monohon announced that he had fired Powell.
Earned $77,000
Monohon said the position will be posted, and the city will recruit a new chief. As of Friday, it was still unclear when that process would begin.
Powell was set to earn $77,000 in 2010.
Monohon, a former city councilman, had spoken with three City Council members about his reasons for firing Powell as of Friday afternoon.
He said he expected to have met with all five council members by today.
Powell earlier e-mailed a statement to the Peninsula Daily News thanking the former mayors and reflecting on his time in Forks.
“I want to thank Mayor (Phil) Arbeiter for hiring me, and for Mayor (Nedra) Reed for supporting me,” he wrote.
“One of the highlights here was when I was chosen to be the grand marshal of the Forks Fourth of July Parade a few years back. That was quite an honor.”
Unsure future
Powell said he did not know what his future plans were.
“This was quite a shock, so I am not sure what my plans are, or will be,” Powell said in response to questions about what he would do next and whether he planned to sue the city.
“I have 27 years in law enforcement, and had thought after 30 years, I would retire and seek another type of employment.”
Powell’s tenure as chief has been somewhat controversial in recent years.
In early 2007, Reed received complaints from internal staff and anonymous e-mails and letters about Powell’s conduct.
Ensuing investigations led to the firings of three officers — Tom Scott, JoElle Munger and Deanna Dematteis — in February 2008.
Scott ran unsuccessfully for City Council last November.
$300,000 in legal fees
After the firings, Scott, Dematteis and Powell’s ex-wife, Karleen Powell, filed an unsuccessful recall petition against Reed.
Legal fees cost the city more than $300,000.
“The city is tired of the drama,” Monohon said.
“The community does not want drama. It does not want a soap opera.”
Powell said, “I do agree with Mayor Monohon that the city is tired of the drama; however, the causes of the drama are many.”
The longtime lawman expressed disappointment about the way things ended in Forks.
Was ‘Chief Swan’
“One blemish on my otherwise successful time here was my recent termination,” he wrote.
“I was looking forward to working with the new mayor and to hit the ground running in 2010, looking toward a positive year for the department.”
Powell also brought up the fictional Twilight series, which brought him some noteworthiness because the father of the main character, Bella Swan, is the Forks police chief.
SDLqI also enjoyed the somewhat celebrity status I obtained as [portraying] Chief Charlie Swan of Twilight fame,” he wrote.
“The success of that series has put Forks back on the map.
“New businesses have sprung up, tourism is up and things are looking better for the town.”
Monohon shared Powell’s optimism about the future of Forks.
“I think that we have a strong council,” he said.
“I think we have a good group of people and the ability to do a lot of wonderful and positive things for the community of Forks.”
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Reporter Paige Dickerson contributed to this report.
Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
