By JANIS REID and JESSIE STENSLAND
Staff reporters

Oak Harbor Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Kathy Reed was fired suddenly Friday.

The chamber’s Board of Directors released a two-paragraph statement Friday afternoon to announce the termination.

The press releases stated that the board wishes Reed “best of luck in her future endeavors.”

Chamber President Jason McFadyen said the board voted unanimously Friday to make the leadership change effective the same day, and that all the board members were present.

McFadyen would not say why the decision was made.

When asked, board members referred to McFadyen for questions.

“The board of directors decided to go in a different direction,” McFadyen said. “We thank her for the year and a half she put in.”

Reed was the editor of the Whidbey Crosswind when she was selected to fill the role of chamber director. She replaced Jill Johnson, who was elected as an Island County commissioner.

Reed spearheaded the chamber’s “Jets equal Jobs” campaign and has been outspoken in her support of the Navy.

But her tenure hasn’t been without controversy. Oak Harbor Mayor Scott Dudley raised concerns with the chamber and suggested that some of the lodging tax revenues that the organization receives should be directed elsewhere.

Oak Harbor council members continued their financial support of the chamber, however.

On Friday, Dudley suggested that the chamber board made the wrong choice when they selected Reed in the first place. He said only one candidate for the position made a point of reaching out to the city to see what could be done to improve the relationship.

“Did we get that from Kathy Reed?” he said. “Absolutely not.”

Most recently, Reed wrote a letter of recommendation for Melissa Riker, an Elks Lodge member who applied to become the director of the Oak Harbor Marathon.

McFadyen sent emails to all the council members explaining that Reed should not have used chamber of commerce letterhead in making such a recommendation, and that the chamber had no opinion on the position. McFadyen also attended a City Council meeting and reiterated that message.

“I read into that, that things were not going well,” Dudley said.

Reed could not be reached Friday for comment.