Longtime Whidbey General Hospital CEO Scott Rhine was encouraged to resign months ahead of his planned retirement date.

Three members of the public hospital board of directors held an executive session Oct. 14 to discuss concerns about Rhine. Two of the board seats are currently unfilled.

Dr. Roger Case said his two fellow commissioners, Ron Wallin and Dr. Paul Zaveruha, made it clear they were not satisfied with the CEO’s performance, but no action against Rhine was taken at the meeting.

Case said he met with Rhine afterward to speak with him about his options. Rhine said he would consider resigning early, and later made it official.

Case said he doesn’t share the other commissioners’ feelings about Rhine.

“I’m personally very, very sad to see him go,” he said. “He has a lot to be proud of.”

Nevertheless, Case admits it makes some sense to speed up the departure of a retiring chief executive officer, especially when the board isn’t completely in his corner. He was originally set to retire March 31, 2009.

“The CEO really has to have the support of the full board to be successful,” Case said.

Case said Rhine hasn’t worked this week, though his official retirement date was Oct. 24. Tom Tomasino, the chief operating officer, has taken over as interim CEO while hospital officials conduct a search for a permanent replacement.

An email that Tomasino sent out to administrators Oct. 23 apparently spurred rumors around the hospital that the board voted to oust Rhine. Tomasino wrote that “the board moved that he resign earlier than his announced date,” which Case said is not accurate.

Rhine was at the helm of the hospital for more than 10 years, which is pretty remarkable. Case said the average employment of a hospital CEO in the state is around four to five years, about the same as a school superintendent.

Trish Rose, hospital spokesperson, said Rhine’s early departure was a surprise to staff members.

Rose said Rhine will be missed. She said he has a long list of accomplishments. He kept the hospital in the forefront of technology; built a strong leadership team; came up with creative approaches to recruiting and retaining primary care physicians; and implemented the Patients First initiative, which “really changed the culture of the hospital.”

“He is really caring,” she said. “I’ve seen him handle different patient and family situations with tenderness and caring.”

Most recently, his ability to gain the hospital a “critical access designation” places the district in favorable financial position.

Rhine plans to stay on Whidbey and his resignation agreement includes a provision under which he will offer consulting services to the hospital.

It’s a big time of change for the hospital. Two commissioners resigned in the last few months and their positions haven’t been filled yet. Holly Schoenknecht, commissioner for South Whidbey, resigned in August and said she plans to move off the island.

The board delayed interviews with the candidates originally scheduled for last week.

More recently, Kristy Miller, the North Whidbey commissioner, resigned for health reasons. The board is still accepting applications for her position.

Rhine, Wallin and Zaveruha could not be reached for comment.