The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

This past week, it has been noticed that the newly hired fire chief for Columbia-Walla Walla (CCWW) County Fire District 2 has been missing. Waitsburg residents have noticed an increase in activity at the local fire station on Main St. since Michael Moynihan joined Fire District 2.

The new Chief made a good first impression on local building owners who are aware of the fire-fighting vulnerabilities of 120-year-old commercial buildings that share walls. The sight of new volunteers and multiple training sessions, reported on by The Times, has increased confidence that the Fire Department is working to stay current on recruitment and training.

This past week the white District Chief truck has not been parked in its now-familiar space in front of the station. The Chief, who made a point of reaching out to residents, has not been seen at the station or out in the community.

Persons connected to the District reached out anonymously to inform The Times that Moynihan had been put on administrative leave and would not be back. The Times was not able to contact Moynihan for this article.

The Times reached out to the District to find out the current status of the recent hire. Commissioner Jake Long said there would be no comment ahead of the upcoming Commissioners' meeting.

Commissioner Randy Charles stated he was not included in deciding to place the new Chief on administrative leave and had no information. He is expecting to learn the full story at the Jan. 13 Commissioners' meeting. Charles encourages any concerned residents to attend the Zoom call meeting this month and every month.

"I think the more the public attends our meetings and the city council meetings, the healthier it is. Things should be transparent and above board," said Charles about overall public involvement in official meetings. "I know it's hard right now. It's not perfect, it never is. We do Zoom, City Council has conference calls, but citizen involvement is very important."

Update from the January CWWC Fire District 2 Commissioners Meeting:

On January 13, during a regular meeting, attended by more than 20 people, the Columbia-Walla Walla County Fire District 2 Commissioners voted to terminate Chief Michael Moynihan’s position, effective January 31, 2021.

The decision followed more than 40 minutes of executive session. All commissioners were involved in the session, with the exception of Deb Fortner, who was unable to attend the meeting.

The motion to terminate the contract received two ‘yay’ votes, with Commissioner Randy Charles abstaining from a vote. There were no ‘nay’ votes.

Moynihan will remain on paid administrative leave until January 31. No detail was given as to why the board of commissioners voted to terminate the contract at the meeting.