As a tenant at the Port of Friday Harbor, I was dismayed to hear Joe Wheeler had been terminated. Joe Wheeler was a dedicated, hard-working employee with both a great personality and the knowledge to get things done at the port. We were told that his termination was due to reorganization. What reorganization? The commissioners hire a new director and one of his first orders of business is to terminate an upper management employee under the guise of reorganization?

Later, we were told his termination was due to budget constraints. That sounds fishy. In addition, the method of termination makes no sense. To walk up to a quality employee at the end of the day and tell him his position is being eliminated, “pack your things, I’ll walk you out,” is reprehensible!

You as commissioners, need to re-evaluate your choice of director. FridayHarbor is not Brookings, Oregon. This incident needs to be investigated. Joe Wheeler’s termination has radically affected the morale of the rest of the staff. Joe Wheeler needs to be reinstated and the commissioners need to admit they have made a mistake. The port can’t function efficiently under this management style. The Port of Friday Harbor Marina is a special place. It is a neighborhood to those of us who are tenants and a tourist attraction during the summer months. Let us keep it that way. Reinstate Joe Wheeler. In addition, consider a director who fits into the community.

Keith Carver

San Juan Island