Editor,

I am probably one of a few Island Transit users speaking up. As such, I stand with Oak Harbor Mayor Scott Dudley in his efforts to, at the least, get Island Transit an advertising contract and get new Island Transit board members who will take their responsibilities seriously.

At the least, Bob Clay must go. Clay certainly knew before the Oct. 24 State Auditor’s Office Exit Conference about the former executive director’s inability to report leave correctly yet agreed to pay over $80,000 to a former executive director who, according to the auditor’s office, shares the blame for many of Island Transit’s problems.

A severance agreement was also arguably fiscally irresponsible.

Furthermore, Mr. Clay’s attempt to discredit the state Auditor’s Office Team Bellingham at the Exit Conference is ignoble. At least the former Team Bellingham Director Sadie Armijo explained in her last audit of Island Transit there were no “red flags” because Island Transit had over $2 million in reserves in 2012 and was building a necessary but opulent new headquarters.

Therefore, Mayor Nancy Conard should please review Bob Clay’s performance on the Island Transit Board, instruct Clay to issue a public apology to Sadie Armijo and Andy Asbjornsen — the past and present Team Bellingham commanders I consider consummate professionals — and place on a Coupeville Town Council agenda a public confidence vote about Clay’s representation of Coupeville to the Island Transit Board.

The ultimate issue to this bus rider is whether the transit Board can rebuild Island Transit.

I hold the view it is impossible for most of Island Transit’s current board to continue due to multiple negative surprises destroying trust, the recent State Audit, profligate spending policies and the Island Transit 2014-19 Transit Development Plan being so deficient it is unclear to me when or if Saturday service will restart.

Joe A. Kunzler

Sedro-Woolley