Weekes Resigns From Forks Planning Commission the Same Day a Removal Petition Went Live

Brian Weekes has resigned from the Forks Planning Commission, Mayor Tim Fletcher confirmed to The Olympic Herald, leaving the city's land use panel on the same day a petition seeking his removal was posted online.

“Mr. Weekes resigned Monday morning from our planning commission,” Fletcher wrote in an email last week, answering a Herald question about whether Weekes was still a member.

The petition, titled "Remove Brian Weekes from Forks City Planning Commission," was created on Change.org last week, by Katherine Jackson. As of Monday, the page showed 126 verified signatures against a stated goal of 200.

The petition called on the city to remove Weekes, arguing that his presence undermines the credibility of the commission. 

It refers to allegations against him spanning decades and to what it describes as nearly $1 million in legal costs shouldered by the Quillayute Valley School District after a civil suit.

The Herald has reported that QVSD paid $765,834.77 to close that case. 

What the Jury Found

Weekes, a longtime QVSD employee and the district's former head cross-country and track coach, was a defendant in Larson v. Quillayute Valley School District, tried this spring in U.S. District Court in Tacoma.

On April 8, jurors found the district liable for subjecting former assistant cross-country coach Kari Larson to a hostile work environment and awarded her $250,000 under the Washington Law Against Discrimination. 

The same jury declined to find the district or Weekes liable for retaliation, and it cleared Athletic Director and Title IX Coordinator Kyle Weakley of negligent supervision and negligent retention claims. 

The verdict included no finding of liability against Weekes, who denied the allegations in his response to the lawsuit.

The verdict has driven months of public comment at QVSD board meetings. 

On July 28, a district graduate who now works as a substitute for the district and a high school assistant cheer coach told the board she had personally experienced the kind of touching described in evidence at trial, including a massage on the track after she mentioned hip pain at practice. 

At the same meeting, Shannon Gaydeski pressed the board to complete its reopened investigation of Weekes and to file a report with the state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. As of that meeting, no outcome had been announced.

A Separate Seat, and a Narrow Removal Path

The planning commission has no connection to the school district. Forks created the body under Chapter 2.15 of its municipal code, citing Chapter 35A.63 RCW. 

It seats five voting members appointed by the mayor and the city council, plus the city planner in an ex officio role, and it drafts and recommends changes to the comprehensive plan, the zoning code, the critical areas ordinance and other land use rules before those items reach the council.

The city's ordinance sets six-year terms under RCW 35.63.030. That statute, which the ordinance cites, also sets a narrow path for forcing out a sitting commissioner: removal requires inefficiency, neglect of duty or malfeasance in office, and only with council approval after a public hearing. 

Weekes stepped down on his own. His departure leaves two open seats. Under state law, a seat vacated mid-term is filled by appointment for the remainder of the unexpired term.