The Battle Ground City Council reaffirmed its decision to terminate City Manager Kris Swanson during a Monday, Nov. 2, meeting, voting 4-3 to formally uphold the city's August decision following a contentious public hearing that included criticism from residents, questions about the termination process and an emotional response from Swanson.
The council approved Resolution 26-10, affirming its Aug. 5, 2026, actions and formally terminating Swanson's employment as city manager. The vote followed an executive session and over an hour of discussion surrounding the firing, along with further discussion of the interim city manager contract and public testimony concerning the circumstances surrounding her removal.
Swanson, who said she had dedicated 35 years of her career to public service, addressed the council during the hearing, questioning the justification for her termination and the financial consequences for the city.
"I recognize the council's authority to make employment decisions, and I understand that a city manager will not always agree with a council member, but the authority to make a decision does not eliminate the responsibility to make a sound decision, one that is justified, responsible, and truly in the best interest of the city," Swanson said.
"I believe this decision makes no sense. There's no good reason that has been presented to justify it, and I believe the decision was financially irresponsible."
Swanson's termination followed an Aug. 5 special council meeting, during which four council members — Mayor Eric Overholser, Deputy Mayor Aimee Vaile and Council Members Brian Munson and Victoria Ferrer — voted to end her employment without cause. She said the decision came less than two weeks after a performance evaluation in which communication was identified as an area for improvement.
She said she had not been given a meaningful opportunity to respond to additional allegations about her leadership before the council acted.
In the months preceding her removal, Swanson said she had been addressing concerns involving police leadership and inaccurate code enforcement data. She described disagreements with Police Chief Dennis Flynn concerning performance expectations, city policies, the use of personal cellphones for city business and communications with council members outside the established chain of command.
Swanson said an independent investigation conducted by Sound Workplace Investigations examined allegations brought forward by police leadership in April. According to Swanson, the investigation did not substantiate the misconduct alleged against her.
She said the investigator found it unlikely she had made a serious threat to take property through code enforcement action and unlikely that her questions about reported code enforcement statistics were retaliation for a complaint filed by the police chief.
Swanson’s attorney, Sue-Del McCulloch, also addressed the council.
During her statements, McCulloch left a grey-area statement regarding the investigation by not denying comments were made by Swanson, “... accused her of misusing a code enforcement process to strong-arm a property owner in some way. She was found maybe not to have made the comments. If she made them, certainly not to have intended that …”
McCulloch added that five of seven city staffers interviewed in the investigation did not think Swanson had made any comments at all.
The investigation was completed in early June, with Swanson estimating it cost the city approximately $25,000.
"That investment of public funds makes what followed even more troubling," Swanson said. "After the city spent $25,000 investigating allegations that were not substantiated, additional statements about my leadership were solicited shortly before my termination."
Swanson questioned why Mayor Overholser had not informed her about statements from two police lieutenants concerning her leadership and operational direction.
She said she and the mayor had regularly met to discuss city business, council agendas and challenges involving police leadership. During those conversations, Swanson said the mayor had repeatedly told her, "I support you and you should always do what's best for the team."
However, she said the mayor had already received the statements when he met with her in her office July 31, but did not raise the allegations or give her an opportunity to respond.
"Mayor, why did you not tell me about the additional allegations made against me? And why was I not given an opportunity to respond before those statements were presented to the council in executive session on Aug. 5?" Swanson asked.
She also pointed to a July 20 performance evaluation, which she said included a discussion about improving communication between herself and the council.
Less than two weeks later, the council voted to terminate her employment following a special meeting announced with approximately 24 hours' notice.
"I am left trying to understand what the hell happened, what changed, and why the concerns that apparently led to this decision were never discussed with me," Swanson said.
Her attorney argued that the process surrounding Swanson's removal raised concerns about transparency, accountability and compliance with state law.
McCulloch said Swanson was not seeking litigation but wanted to continue serving the city and have its leadership act responsibly.
She questioned the mayor's request for statements from police lieutenants through private text messages and individual meetings, arguing that the complaints were never presented to Swanson for a response.
McCulloch also referenced the council's Aug. 5 decision, echoing Swanson’s criticism that it followed a special meeting with only 24 hours' notice.
"We cannot know exactly when the decision was actually made to terminate her, or how the votes were coordinated to make sure that the bare minimum of votes were there to pass that resolution," McCulloch said.
She further argued that the council's handling of the matter raised concerns under Washington's Open Public Meetings Act and anti-discrimination laws. McCulloch said she did not intend to litigate those matters during the hearing.
Instead, she asked the council to reconsider its decision and allow Swanson to continue serving Battle Ground.
Public criticism
Following Swanson and her attorney's remarks, several residents and community members addressed the council, with much of the testimony focused on the termination process, potential financial consequences and concerns about the city's ability to recruit future leadership.
Philip Johnson, a former council member and mayor of Battle Ground, criticized the role of police leadership in the situation, saying he believed the police department had been involved in the removal of multiple city managers.
Former Longview City Councilor Angie Wean also spoke, drawing comparisons between Swanson's removal and her own experience with a previous city manager's termination in Longview.
Wean said the process was damaging to both the individual involved and the community, warning that the council's actions could make it difficult to attract qualified candidates for the position.
"People that have spent decades of their lives serving community and being there for citizens, and to treat her like this, to treat your interim manager like that, it's actually gross," Wean said.
She encouraged the council to reconsider its decision, describing Swanson as an experienced leader who remained committed to serving the community.
Wean also questioned the financial implications of the decision, noting the city's existing budget challenges.
David Terry, a Battle Ground resident, focused his testimony on the potential costs associated with the termination.
Terry said ending Swanson's employment without cause triggered an immediate contractual payout estimated at more than $315,000. He also referenced a potential $5 million lawsuit, questioning whether the council could justify the financial risks to taxpayers.
"Financial damage doesn't stop at severance," Terry said. "By pursuing a rushed back-channel removal following an executive session, 24 hours, we all know that story, we are now facing a $5 million lawsuit."
Terry questioned how the city would retain employees and recruit another city manager amid the controversy.
He also criticized the lack of explanation from council members who supported the termination.
"I urge you four reckless, disrespectful councillors to account for all of this and tell us exactly what's going on," Terry said.
LaDonna Kirkpatrick, who identified herself as the 18th Legislative District chair for the Democratic Party, also criticized the council, saying the termination had prompted political opposition and mobilized residents who otherwise might not have become involved in local government.
She said public records concerning the termination were being reviewed and that efforts by 18th Legislative District Democrats were underway to recruit candidates to challenge council members in future elections.
Following public testimony, the council then entered a 10-minute executive session to discuss potential litigation before returning to consider the resolution.
Council divided over termination
Council members expressed sharply different opinions before the final vote, with some questioning the process that led to Swanson's removal and others defending the council's authority to make employment decisions.
Councilor Troy McCoy criticized the decision to terminate Swanson after a lengthy period of discussion surrounding the interim city manager's contract.
"Considering it's taken three months to get the interim city manager's contract agreed by four people, it seems beyond the pale that four of us decided in 24 hours to fire the city manager," McCoy said.
McCoy also questioned whether the process violated the Open Public Meetings Act and said the city had incurred significant costs because of the decision.
"How this should have worked is when we had a review, this council should have discussed it ethically and honestly, brought their concerns forward, garnered consensus," McCoy said. "If there were issues, bring them to the city manager, work through them, reach a consensus, and fire her for cause."
Council member Shane Bowman also criticized the process, apologizing to city staff, Swanson and residents who had been affected by the controversy.
Bowman said some council members had not developed adequate working relationships with staff and did not understand their responsibilities as elected officials.
"We have council members that don't communicate. That was evident tonight in your statement. We have council members that choose not to communicate, but think that they know what they're doing," Bowman said.
Bowman compared the council's decision-making to trying to turn an aircraft carrier around too quickly, arguing that major government decisions require careful consideration because of their long-term consequences.
"This was not one of them," Bowman said, referring to the termination decision. "And I, like Mr. McCoy, am ashamed to be a part of it. I'm ashamed that our staff is going through this."
Bowman also referenced a previous dispute involving city management and police leadership in 2010 and 2011, saying the current situation reminded him of those events.
He said the controversy had damaged the city's reputation and apologized to Swanson and her family.
Other council members supported moving forward with the termination, ultimately voting to reaffirm the Aug. 5 decision with no explanation.
The roll-call vote was 4-3. Council members Munson and Ferrer, Deputy Mayor Vaile and Mayor Overholser voted in favor of Resolution 26-10. Council members Bowman, Jeanie Kuypers and McCoy voted against it.
The resolution's approval formally reaffirmed the council's previous action and terminated Swanson's employment with the city of Battle Ground.
Interim leadership remains a challenge to be agreed upon
The disagreement surrounding Swanson's removal has also extended into the council's efforts to establish a contract for the city's interim leadership.
Prior to the hearing and reaffirming action, councilor Munson motioned to remove “Item I” from the consent agenda, sparking council members continuing to disagree over proposed employment terms for interim City Manager Rob Ferrier, who had been appointed to the position but did not yet have an approved contract.
The discussion revealed continued divisions among council members over compensation, vacation accrual, termination provisions and the length of Ferrier's interim appointment.
Munson said the latest contract proposal did not meet what he considered fair and equitable terms.
Ferrier's proposed agreement included additional vacation time, an increased accrual rate and provisions addressing removal and indemnification. Council members disagreed over whether the proposed benefits and compensation were appropriate for an interim position.
City Attorney Hillary Evans explained that Ferrier remained the interim city manager despite the lack of an approved contract. She said the council needed a majority to approve an agreement and could continue negotiating or leave his existing employment terms in place.
Council members also questioned how the city could move forward with recruiting a permanent city manager while struggling to reach an agreement on interim leadership.
Kuypers expressed concern about the treatment of Ferrier, saying the city needed experienced leadership and stability.
"We are asking for someone to step into this position. And he didn't say he was only gonna do it for five months," Kuypers said. "He said, he's gonna do it until we get somebody hired. That could take two years. It could take four years."
Kuypers said the negotiations had been embarrassing and could jeopardize the city's ability to retain interim leadership while it works to fill the permanent position.
During the discussion, the mayor proposed a revised counteroffer that included a 15% salary increase, adjustments to vacation accrual and a change to the agreement's nine-month term.
Ferrier asked that the revised agreement be provided in writing before he reviewed it.
The ongoing disagreement over interim leadership adds another challenge for the city as it moves forward following Swanson's termination and prepares to recruit a permanent city manager.
Swanson, meanwhile, closed her remarks by reiterating that she believed the council owed residents an explanation for its decision.
"I believe the residents and employees of Battle Ground deserve confidence that consequential decisions affecting their government are made after careful consideration of the facts, open communication, and a fair process," Swanson said.
She said the council had a responsibility to explain how the termination benefited the city and justified the financial and organizational consequences. The council members who voted to fire Swanson did not provide an explanation during the hearing.
