Park and rec district board urged member to resign in closed session

Published 1:30 am Friday, July 31, 2026

Members of the elected board governing the North Whidbey Pool, Park and Recreation District took the unusual step of urging a fellow board member to resign.

Board President Bill Larsen told the News-Times this week that four of the district’s five commissioners asked Brit Kraner, who was elected in 2024, to step down during an executive session last week. Larsen said he hoped to handle the situation with grace and decorum by going behind closed doors and not publicly embarrassing Kraner, but guidance in the Washington State Auditor’s Office and Municipal Research and Services Center’s Open Public Meetings Act guidebook suggests the board’s actions may have violated the Open Public Meetings Act.

Larsen and fellow board member David Guy said they previously have had concerns about Kraner’s behavior toward staff and at meetings, but the final straw was a complaint letter from the Oak Harbor Chamber of Commerce.

In it, Eric Marshall, executive director of the chamber, described an interaction between Kraner and chamber staff and volunteers at the “VIP fireworks viewing reception” as they were cleaning up on the Fourth of July. Kraner allegedly told the chamber people that she should be allowed to take the remaining food home with her since the district paid for it. After the staff told her that the chamber paid for the food and had other plans for it, Kraner “stated that she would ensure the district would never again sponsor the Independence Day Celebration,” according to Marshall’s letter.

“I was disappointed that a disagreement over leftover refreshments escalated into what appeared to be a threat to withdraw sponsorship of one of the community’s most significant annual events,” Marshall wrote.

Kraner, however, pointed out that neither Marshall nor any district board members were present at the time. She said the letter was not an accurate depiction of events.

She also said she was surprised when the other board members asked her to resign and had not yet decided whether to remain on the board. The board has no legal authority to force Kraner to resign. As an elected commissioner, she can choose to remain in office unless she resigns or is removed through a legal process.

Kraner said she told the other board members that she “might” decide about resigning by Monday. She said Larsen harassed her by repeatedly contacting her when she asked for more time to decide.

Kraner said she doesn’t understand why Larsen is in such a hurry, especially since the next meeting isn’t until the third Thursday of August. She claimed he threatened to “blast” her with publicity about the letter if she didn’t resign.

Larsen and Guy, however, both said that her presence is disruptive to the district as a whole, especially in its relationship with partners in the community. Besides the chamber, the district is also working on a collaborative relationship with the city of Oak Harbor.

“We have a work to do. We have a job to do,” Guy said. “We can’t be involved in drama.”

Larsen penned a response to Marshall, apologizing for Kraner’s actions and saying that she has no authority to threaten to withdraw sponsorship.

In an interview, Marshall said a couple of chamber of commerce board members witnessed the incident and his letter was approved by the executive board before it was sent.

Larsen said the board had to create new bylaws and standing policies to address Kraner’s behavior. He said she would question staff members outside of meetings, taking up a great deal of their time. The board sets policy and the budget and directs the director, but individual board members aren’t supposed to direct staff outside of meetings, Larsen pointed out.

“We have had to intervene as she negatively impacted the morale of staff at the pool on multiple occasions,” Larsen said, adding that one member of the administrative team quit because of Kraner.

In addition, Larsen complained that Kraner missed meetings without notice and had an emotional outburst when the majority of the board voted to discontinue a money-losing program.

In her defense, Kraner said these issues had already been addressed in public meetings. She said she hasn’t talked to anyone in the district lately and has been keeping her head down. She questions why Larsen is bringing up the resolved issues again.

At the meeting, the board cited the executive-session exemption allowing it “to review the performance of a public employee.” Washington law also contains a separate exemption for executive sessions “to receive and evaluate complaints or charges brought against a public officer or employee.”

The Open Public Meetings Act guidebook includes an example involving a city council asking a mayor to resign. It concludes that while complaints against a public officer may be discussed in executive session, the action of asking for the resignation should occur in open session.

The Open Public Meetings Act generally prohibits governing bodies from taking action in executive session. Under the act and case law, “action” includes more than just a formal vote.