Port Angeles Commissioner Steve Burke Resigns Amid Fraud Allegations, Preempting Censure Vote

Port of Port Angeles Commissioner Steven D. Burke announced Thursday afternoon that he will resign from his elected position, effective today.

The abrupt resignation comes hours before the Port Commission was scheduled to hold a special meeting to formally censure him.

Fellow Commissioners Connie Beauvais and Colleen M. McAleer had previously formally requested his resignation, a request Burke had initially declined.

The push for censure followed months of scrutiny and the release of three reports by the Washington State Auditor’s Office in November 2025.

Following a routine audit that flagged unusual payments, the state launched a comprehensive fraud investigation into Burke’s separate, full-time role as Executive Director of the William Shore Memorial Pool District.

The state’s Fraud Investigation Report concluded that Burke personally benefited from at least $41,148 in self-insurance medical benefits program payments, payroll tax refunds, and personal credit card purchases.

Auditors also identified an additional $25,980 in questionable expenses connected to Burke, representing expenditures for which investigators could not determine a legitimate business purpose.

The auditor’s office determined the pool district lacked adequate internal controls, leaving it vulnerable to misappropriation.

The draft censure resolution, which Burke’s resignation now preempts, emphasized that the Port faced a “reputational risk” directly tied to Burke’s actions at the Shore Aquatic Center.

The resolution noted that while the issue related to his independent conduct and not the Port’s ongoing operations, community confidence in public institutions is of “paramount importance.”

Had the resolution been adopted, it would have served as a public statement of disapproval and immediately rescinded Burke’s position as Vice President of the Port Commission. It also sought to strip him of all attendant committee assignments and restrict his travel reimbursements.

The auditor’s findings currently remain under review by the Washington State Attorney General’s office for potential criminal charges.

The Attorney General’s Office told me earlier this week that they currently have no updates on the charges.