Twin Transit General Manager Derrick Wojcik-Damers speaks at a Twin Transit special meeting in December, 2018.
The Twin Transit Advisory Board accepted the resignation of General Manager Derrick Wojcik-Damers on Thursday night following nearly three hours of closed-door deliberation by the board earlier that morning.
Board members voted unanimously to accept his letter of resignation and to approve a separation agreement negotiated earlier Thursday. Wojcik-Damers, who was not at either meeting Thursday, is set to receive six months of severance pay, six months of health insurance coverage and $5,000 in moving expenses should he leave the state.
Wojcik-Damers’ exact compensation was not immediately known, but The Chronicle reported an offer by Twin Transit of at least $101,000 in December 2017.
In exchange, Wojcik-Damers signed away his right to pursue legal action against Twin Transit and those associated with the agency for any reasons associated with his employment and separation from Twin Transit. Per the document, he has one week to nullify his signing of the separation agreement.
“I have truly enjoyed my time here as your General Manager and wish you and the organization nothing but the best as you embark on a new chapter at Twin Transit,” Wojcik-Damers wrote in his letter of resignation.
Wojcik-Damers, a native of Lewis County, came to Twin Transit after more than a decade spent working for transit agencies in Colorado. Board Chair Bobby Jackson accepted responsibility on behalf of himself and the other two board members — Centralia City Councilor Rebecca Staebler and Chehalis City Councilor Chad Taylor — for the trio not having done more to set Wojcik-Damers up for success in his first stint as a general manager.
When Wojcik-Damers took the helm of Twin Transit on Jan. 8, 2018, Lewis County was about to begin the process of putting a measure on the ballot that fall to expand the Lewis Public Transit Benefit Area and was in the midst of applying for grants to fund construction of a transit hub in downtown Centralia.
Before calling for the vote Thursday on the resignation, Jackson, a Lewis County Commissioner, spoke highly of Wojcik-Damers and said the board saddled him with unfair expectations for his first year on the job.
“I think it’s important to note that Derrick Wojcik-Damers is as fine an individual as I’ve ever met,” Jackson said. “I enjoyed working with him in the year I was able to work with him. …I wish that the situation had been such that he could have come in his first year and used that time getting to know the drivers, understanding that system and working to establish those relationships. ...Hindsight is always 20-20 and I just wanted to be able to share with the community and the drivers that we are really sorry this has worked out the way it has, and we wish Derrick nothing but the absolute best, because he is a quality individual.”
Taylor echoed Jackson’s sentiments of no ill will toward Wojcik-Damers and said he agreed the board did not do enough to help him acclimate to his new role. Taylor committed to making himself more available to whomever the board hires as its next general manager.
“This is the first type of board I’ve been on where you have … it’s kind of a different role than being on a city council,” Taylor said. “It’s more of a hands-on role and you need more leadership, like a county commissioner would be giving to his staff, and I definitely wasn’t used to that.”
Wojcik-Damers officially held the job for a day less than one full year. He had been under investigation since Jan. 14 for complaints made against him by Twin Transit employees. He also faced scrutiny for the agency’s role in a failed transit expansion ballot measure, ballooning costs for a proposed transit center and a long list of personal finance-related legal issues in two states, including a felony theft conviction in 1996 in Lewis County under a name he previously used, Derrick Perona.
Jackson said Thursday night that Katherine Weber of Seattle law firm Inslee Best had briefed the board on the preliminary findings of her investigation into the employee complaints.
Reading from a prepared statement, Jackson said Weber had found no evidence of unlawful behavior by Wojcik-Damers and that she would file a full report in the coming weeks.
“There appeared to be, however, an escalating pattern of mistrust and miscommunication from the general manager and (Operations Manager Aaron Rollins) and (Maintenance Manager Steve Wark), which then impacted the staff as a whole,” Jackson said. “...Considering this information as well as other factors that have come to light more recently, the board has determined it is in the best interest of Twin Transit, including its employees and partners, to accept the resignation of Mr. Wojcik-Damers, effective immediately. The board wants to clearly state this decision is not based on any real or perceived misconduct on the part of Mr. Wojcik-Damers, but rather on the necessity of ensuring the work of Twin Transit proceeds in the best manner possible.”
Rollins and Wark submitted complaint letters to the advisory board last month accusing Wojcik-Damers of possessing an erratic management style that included going against company policy and not communicating effectively with subordinates.
Debbie Lytle, a non-voting member of the advisory board and one of 16 employees to sign a letter of no confidence in Wojcik-Damers, choked up when addressing those in attendance Thursday night.
“Twin Transit is a family, not just a place to go to work,” Lytle said. “I’ve been there 20 years and never been through something like this before. I will tell you, it was very hard at times, but I wanted you guys to hear our voices, because you are the ones we have to protect us. … I want you guys to know, you’re who we have to go to when we say we need help.”
Jackson had been filling in for Wojcik-Damers when it came to some tasks such as signing paychecks. He will continue to do so until the board appoints an interim general manager. He and Human Resources Manager Melissa Shoemaker will escort Wojcik-Damers on Saturday to clean out his office.
The Prothman Company, a search firm with which Twin Transit contracted with during the process that led to Wojcik-Damers being hired, told Jackson they were willing to help find an interim manager. It is not clear whether Twin Transit will pay Prothman for that service, should it take the firm up on its offer. Taylor said he would take it upon himself to research additional search firms for consideration by the board.
All three board members agreed that while they do not intend to rush the hiring process, time is of the essence given the number of in-progress projects the agency has to contend with in the near future. Jackson said the plan is for no major changes or purchases to take place until a permanent manager has been hired.
“The goal is for us to keep the buses rolling until we can at least get an interim person in there,” Jackson said. “... This is all new to us, as well. We’re trying to step into this thing respectfully, thoughtfully, and with a great sense of trepidation.”
