Lewis County Commissioner Scott Brummer, appointed as the county’s representative on the Lewis County Transit Authority Board, will continue to serve as an unpaid, part-time executive director for the authority as the agency searches for new leadership.
The Lewis County Transit Authority Board met Tuesday afternoon for the first time since it announced the dismissal of its former Executive Director Robert “Josh” Nylander, who was hired to fill the position just four months earlier.
During the meeting, the board revealed that Brummer, as board chair, had taken over the role as interim executive director. During the executive director report portion of the meeting, Brummer shared a memo with the rest of the board and staff stating that he would split the load of the executive director role with the agency's fleet manager, Tim Palmateer, who will handle day-to-day administrative duties at times when Brummer can’t be in the office.
“I’m not able to be boots on the ground all the time,” Brummer said. “I have another job to do and take care of.”
Brummer also serves as the vice chair of the Lewis County Board of Commissioners representing Lewis County’s District 3, which stretches from Vader to Packwood.
According to the discussion in the meeting, Brummer has been serving part time as interim executive director since the beginning of the month after the board dismissed Nylander during a special meeting on Thursday, Jan. 29.
A statement from the authority shortly after that meeting said the decision had been made to reflect the agency's “highest standards of leadership.”
In a statement from Brummer this week, he said the board let Nylander go based on “performance and personal issues.”
“We, the transit board, did not believe the agency was meeting expectations under Mr. Nylander’s leadership,” Brummer said. “We decided to make a decisive change instead of continuing with his services as director.”
Brummer added that the board takes full responsibility for hiring a director who was ultimately unsuccessful. He also said the board felt it was in the best interest for him, as chair of the board, to take over executive director duties temporarily.
Representatives from both the Lewis County Board of Commissioners and the city councils from Centralia and Chehalis serve on the local transit agency's three-member board. Brummer has served as chair of the board since the beginning of the year after previously serving as vice chair.
Chehalis Mayor Tony Ketchum also serves on the board and was recently elected as vice chair. Ray Chapman-Wilson, a new member of the Centralia City Council, is the newest member of the transit authority board, attending his first meeting in place of former Centralia City Council member Mark Westley.
Chapman-Wilson was appointed to the board by the Centralia City Council during its Feb. 10 meeting. On Tuesday, he was chosen as secretary of the transit authority board.
According to the statement, Brummer will not be paid for his role as interim executive director, much as he is not paid for his role on the board other than his salary as a Lewis County commissioner.
“We serve in these roles for the benefit of the citizens we are elected to represent throughout Lewis County,” Brummer said. “Due to my overall responsibilities as county commissioner, my hours are limited to be on site, but I have taken advantage of every opportunity possible to connect with Transit staff and meet with the management team.”
Brummer said Lewis County Transit is not in a rush to find another executive director and instead will take more time to define the criteria and recruit candidates for the position.
