Editor,

While I am stunned at the recent settlement agreement reached with former Island Transit Executive Director Martha Rose, I cannot say that I am surprised.

I was shocked and amazed at the rapid unchecked growth of the Island Transit empire under Rose’s leadership over the last decade, all the while optimistically confident that she was being monitored by the board of local elected officials tasked with evaluating her performance and overseeing the operation under her control.

As it turns out, the opposite was true.

The board was under Rose’s control — mesmerized and intimidated, failing to ask questions and exact the necessary authority and oversight to ensure county taxpayers’ assets and interests were protected.

That an individual could show such blatant and wanton disregard for honesty, integrity and ethics is shameful, without a doubt. However, the real disgrace in this situation falls on the board of directors.

All present and past members of the board of directors dating back to 1996, when Rose’s last performance and salary review was conducted, Republicans and Democrats alike, have repeatedly and continuously failed in their fiduciary duties to the citizens of Island County.

What’s even more shocking is that, although this revelation was only made public on Oct. 24, sitting board members were made aware of the findings, including Rose’s theft from Island County, prior to their entering into a settlement agreement that will again pay Rose for vacation time she already stole from the county.

This acute and obvious continuation of poor judgment and disregard for taxpayer dollars is, by any reasonable standard, justification for the immediate resignation of Helen Price-Johnson, Bob Clay, Jim Sundberg and Aubrey Vaughan from the Island Transit board of directors, lest they forget voters will have the opportunity to do so when they next appear on the ballot.

Holding those responsible for this mess is only a small part of the solution. Public transportation is extremely important to Island County voters, who twice voted to increase the sales tax Island Transit receives from three-tenths of a percent in 2000, to nine-tenths of a percent today.

Now that Island County residents had the wool pulled from our eyes, it’s time we demand a much closer examination of this organization from top to bottom.

Was Rose the only one not receiving performance and salary reviews? If she lied about her vacation, in what other ways was the board and, ultimately, the citizenry, misled?

Is the mantra we’ve been hearing for decades, “it would cost too much to collect fares,” true?

Are the ridership figures we’ve been given falsified, like Ms. Rose’s vacation ledger?

It is high time that we enlist outside professionals to conduct a comprehensive ridership audit so that board members and the general public truly understand the “need” and “fare-free” should immediately be replaced by a fare-based system with all services, including paratransit, reformed to ensure elderly, disabled and infirm are given subsidy and overall priority throughout the system.

Jason Joiner

Coupeville