Council unanimously votes "no confidence"

During Monday evening's session of the Cathlamet Town Council, Councilmember Robert Stowe, attending the meeting via Zoom, proposed the addition of Resolution No. 462-25 to the consent agenda. With the document emailed to Town Clerk/Treasurer Sarah Clark and then printed out and distributed to attendees during the meeting, Resolution No. 462-25 represents "A Resolution of No Confidence in David Calvin Olson, Town of Cathlamet Mayor." The drafted resolution states the Town Council of Cathlamet "has a solemn duty to ensure that the conduct of Town officials upholds the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and accountability." Later, the resolution states the performance and conduct of Mayor Olson have "given rise to serious concerns regarding his ability to effectively fulfill the responsibilities of his office" and that his actions "have resulted in a loss of public trust, impaired effective governance, and disrupted the orderly administration of town business." The resolution also states council members, after careful consideration, "have determined that continued service by David Calvin Olson, Town of Cathlamet Mayor is not in the best interest of the Town or its residents." Finally, the resolution states Council "hereby issues a formal vote of no confidence" in Mayor Olson and serves "as an official expression of the Council's lack of trust and support" in Olson's "leadership and conduct."

The resolution proposed and seconded, council members voted 5-0 in favor of No. 462-25. According to merriam-webster.com, a vote of no confidence is "a formal vote by which the members of a legislature or similar deliberative body indicate that they no longer support a leader, government, etc."

Monday's Town Council session immediately followed a 5 p.m. press conference held by Olson, discussing not only his thoughts and concerns over the impending PUD consolidation but Executive Order No. 25-01, which the mayor issued Monday, June 23. Included in the directives for Executive Order No 25-01 was that no employee or contractor of the Town of Cathlamet "take any action to process, sign, authorize, or effectuate the transfer of any Town assets or funds to the PUD," "meet with any representative or contractor of the PUD without prior written approval of the mayor or town attorney," or "communicate with the PUD by any means, including email, telephone, text, or any other electronic media or in-person meetings without prior authorization of the mayor or town attorney."

Beginning his press conference, Olson said, "As Mayor, my core duties are to responsibly manage Town affairs, including staff, make sure Town services are provided efficiently, effectively, and continuously, and preside over Council meetings to implement lawful Council direction. We are currently at a temporary fork in the road on utility consolidation. The Council has voted to turn over Town utilities to PUD. The Mayor has serious reservations about the transfer. After a lot of back and forth and discussion, the Town attorney agrees that the Mayor has raised a legitimate concern and legitimate issues on Washington law and that further research and clarification is needed. As this process plays out, please note the asset transfer agreement, including the one before Council tonight, is not a final agreement. It's still partial. I counted seven sub agreements that haven't even been written yet. It is not a final agreement. It remains under negotiation by the attorneys for both sides."

When asked about Executive Order 25-01, Olson described the document as "the last tool in my box," hoping it would "pause the process" until "we have an agreement." Olson also noted in his press conference that Town Attorney Fred Johnson wrote to Council that day, indicating to them "this agreement is incomplete." Expressing he is "deeply concerned about the negative and catastrophic impact on Town services and resources," Olson implored for PUD representatives present at the press conference to "live up to their words" and hoped, prayed, and begged that Council "give us the time we need to conclude these agreements."

Before voting unanimously in favor of Resolution No. 462-25, each council member had a chance to comment. Councilmember Crystal Baker, who spoke out vehemently against Olson during his press conference, said of Executive Order 25-01, "This resolution was signed on the 23rd of last month. We, as the Town Council, were not given a copy of this. We were not informed of this. The way that we found out that this resolution had gone forward was an email that Sarah [Clark] sent to the PUD to let them know that she was no longer allowed to communicate with them and that everything was ceasing. That's how we found out. We didn't even see a copy of what this resolution read until after the 30th and then in our packet. That is a lack of communication. We are the Town Council, and when things are going on, we are supposed to know before the public does." Citing the conclusion of 25-01 which states, "failure to abide by this Executive Order shall be grounds for discipline or immediate termination," Baker said, "I would feel terrorized by this, and I feel like this is coercive, and I don't think any employee should ever be treated by an employer like this. As a councilmember, I would never approve this kind of treatment by anybody to any of our employees."

Councilmember Jeanne Hendrickson said, "It has been an inefficient one-way street with Mayor Olson...What he has done and he has done really well is he has bound together this Council like no Council has ever been bound before."

Though being the council member who proposed the item be placed on the agenda, Stowe, in reaction to Executive Order 25-01, said to Olson, "There is no statute...that allows the Mayor to abrogate the right of his employees to employ their first amendment rights. They have the right to speak. How dare you, Mr. Mayor."

Noting Resolution No. 462-25 "has no legal effect," Olson, regarding the council members as "extremely disaffected," said, "This is not how I planned to spend the last six months in my term." Describing himself as "very passionate about the town of Cathlamet," Olson admitted to being "terribly worried about the future of the Town," noting "we should all be working as a team." Admitting he is proud of his accomplishments as mayor, Olson said, "I have given this work my best for three and a half years and I will continue to do so, because I raised my right hand and took an oath to serve the Town of Cathlamet. I'm doing that to the best of my ability and will continue to do so. I'm very sorry about the polarization here. I intend to fulfill my oath and carry forward."

For more info, visit townofcathlamet.com.