I am writing in response to Wednesday’s Whidbey News-Times article about Lt. Tim Sterkel and Detective Sgt. Teri Gardner supporting Mr. Dudley in the upcoming mayoral election.

My concern is the reported denial by Mayor Slowik about having never said that it “took two years to get rid of” former City Prosecutor AnhKiet Ngo.  Basically, Mayor Slowik is saying that Teri Gardner is lying about that statement being made.

I am not a political person and am not going to endorse either candidate for the upcoming election. However, I am very willing to go on record as to what Mayor Slowik said.

In the fall of 2009, myself and Teri Gardner had a meeting with Mayor Slowik, in the mayor’s office, regarding some city employee issues. During this meeting, the mayor did in fact make the statement “it took me two years to get rid of Kiet.”

Both myself and Teri Gardner were shocked that the mayor said this, considering that at the time I thought there was the possibility of legal action against the city by Kiet.

By the way that the mayor has now publicly denied ever saying that statement, it makes it appear that Teri Gardner was lying, and then, in a round about way, saying that I am lying. I was the second person in the room with Teri and yes it is true that the mayor made that statement.

Detective Ron Hofkamp
OHPD