UPDATE:

Forrest Rambo, executive director for the Port of Coupeville, returned to work at the port office Friday morning.

Because of a stipulation in his employment contract, the port is required to give 60-days notice of his termination, Rambo said.

He said yesterday’s “termination” wasn’t in effect yesterday, but that the notice of his termination went into effect.

“We are getting an opinion from the port attorney today,” he said. “I anticipate I’m going to be here another few days or even weeks.”

ORIGINAL POST:

Commissioners for the Port of Coupeville voted 2-1 today to fire Executive Director Forrest Rambo, effective immediately.

The decision came at the end of a four-hour special meeting, which was rife with contention and animosity.

Two of the commissioners and Rambo butted heads on more than one occasion throughout the meeting on various topics, including staffing, website development and maintenance and unauthorized revenue collection.

Rambo argued that the port needed to invest more into staffing and his requests for additional employees have long been ignored.

Commissioner William Bell argued that Rambo has failed to present a formal staffing plan.

“You’re not capable of managing the port,” Bell said in a particularly heated moment.

After going into an unplanned executive session that went more than twice the reported length of time, Commissioner John Misashek immediately made a motion to terminate Rambo’s employment, which he read from a typed paper.

Commissioner William Bell seconded the motion and both commissioners voted in favor while board President Mike Diamanti voted against it.

Diamanti was instructed to work with the port attorney to work out a separation agreement for Rambo. Under Rambo’s employment contract, either party must give 60 days notice of termination.

After the vote, audience members asked if the commissioners had a plan for proceeding without an executive director. Bell said they had three potential candidates for the position.

When employee Damon Stadler asked who, Bell declined to say at this time.

“This is my second surprise vote,” said Diamanti after the meeting.

“The first was on July 8,” he said, referring to the July 8, 2015 controversial vote by former commissioners Marshal Bronson and John Carr to cease negotiations with the Greenbank Farm Management Group.

• Check next week’s edition for more on this story.