Your editorial regarding protecting whistleblowers is very interesting. Your position that whistleblowers shouldn’t have to endure ridicule for doing their job does not, as the old saying goes, cut both ways.
It can easily be argued that Port of Centralia Commissioner Peter Lahmann is a whistleblower for not just accepting the practices of rubber-stamping Port of Centralia tactics as they currently exist. It is clear that port staff are annoyed by his refusal to go along with them.
Your statement that he clearly crossed over ethical boundaries to pressure port tenants is contrary to the facts the port-hired investigator concluded. The conclusion states the evidence does not find illegal actions on his part. He did not use his position to secure privilege or exemptions, and there were no reports from port tenants Lahmann unduly pressured, coerced or influenced tenants.
Since the findings didn’t achieve what the instigators hoped, they have moved to “yeah but” responses after the fact. The Chronicle Editorial Board is using the experience of the “whistleblower” to do the same thing. It is a convenient way to attack Commissioner Lahmann after the fact. Ridicule, personal attacks, questioning his integrity. Sounds very similar to the points you share about the whistleblowers situation.
Your hypocrisy doesn’t stop there. Ethically, shouldn’t an editorial board that writes its opinion provide the fact that another company owned by the owners of The Chronicle, The Silver Agency, has been in a financial relationship with the port? How many readers know this?
Finally, I find it interesting that The Chronicle fails to investigate why almost 800 people belong to the Facebook group that monitors the actions of port leadership. How many other small public agencies have this situation? Merely describing them as Lahmann supporters is misleading and insults their reasons for belonging.
You are correct. The whistleblower shouldn’t have to endure retributions. Neither should Commissioner Lahmann have to endure retribution from Port administrators and The Chronicle Editorial Board.
Jeff Mason
formerly of Centralia
