The latest personnel change at Oak Harbor City Hall under new Mayor Scott Dudley adds additional unnecessary costs for the taxpayers and increases worries about the judgment of our new head of government.

City Attorney Bill Hawkins’ stint was short-lived, as he was fired last week after spending only a few months on the job after Dudley put firing Margery Hite, the former city attorney, near the top of his “to do” list when he took office in January.

Hawkins’ dismissal will cost the city six months of severance pay and some vacation pay. Previous dismissals of Hite, Fire Chief Mark Soptich and City Administrator Paul Schmidt have cost the city an estimated $500,000 in severance packages. City Engineer Eric Johnston hired an attorney to send a warning letter to the mayor that if he has any ideas about firing Johnston, the city can expect legal action. Police Chief Rick Wallace, who is being forced to retire by the mayor, has threatened to sue the city if Dudley follows through with the forced retirement.

It’s OK for a new mayor to choose his own “team” of department heads when he or she takes office, but with the firing of Hawkins, Dudley is now eating his own. Hawkins made a telling comment for someone so sensitive of attorney/client privilege, indicating he gave advice the mayor did not want to hear. “If this mayor wants to fire me because I did my job, I will wear that proudly as a badge of honor,” Hawkins said.

Because personnel discussions and decisions can be made in private, it’s hard for the public to understand what’s going on. But when the mayor fires someone of the stature of Bill Hawkins, the warning lights switch over to flashing emergency lights with sirens blaring. As a former elected county prosecutor and private attorney with an extensive background in both civil and criminal law, he has earned the public’s respect. When he’s fired, we know we have a serious problem.

All this furor over personnel changes has dispirited other city employees and leaves the taxpayers on the hook for many thousands of dollars that could have been used to fill potholes or help fill the gap left by declining sales tax revenues. The mayor is a runaway train when it comes to personnel, and it’s up to the City Council to do what it can to stop him.