The Port of Olympia’s real estate and business development director has been put on paid administrative leave, The Olympian has learned.
Allyn Roe, who joined the port in August 2019, is charged with bringing new business to the port and maintaining its real estate portfolio, He was put on leave Wednesday, according to a letter shared with The Olympian.
Roe previously managed the Chehalis-Centralia Airport and the Industrial Park at TransAlta.
“This is to notify you that I am placing you on paid administrative leave effective immediately until Jan. 4, 2023,” the letter reads. It is signed by Executive Director Sam Gibboney, who goes on to say that Roe should refrain from conducting port business and accessing port facilities, and he must return port-issued equipment.
The letter provides no explanation as to why he was put on leave. Roe declined to comment when contact by The Olympian.
Port spokeswoman Joy Johnston also declined to comment, except to say that the decision was unrelated to the Swire Coca-Cola lease.
The Port of Olympia voted unanimously on Monday, Dec. 12, to approve a long-term ground lease with the Coca-Cola bottler, a lease that Roe called one of the biggest deals in port history. He worked on the lease for about a year and had explained it to the commission multiple times.
Forty-eight hours after the commission’s vote, he was put on leave.
Roe’s work began in January when he brought a related deal to the commission for property near Olympia Regional Airport. Then, it was an option-to-lease agreement with a business called CRG, but the option was structured in such a way that if a bigger opportunity presented itself, the port was free to pursue it.
That allowed them to strike a deal with Swire Coca-Cola for 95 acres near the airport and Old Highway 99.
The lease was discussed with the commission in September, then again in November, before being approved Dec. 12.
Before this action, questions had been raised about port management.
In July, The Olympian learned that 22 employees across all divisions at the port had sent a letter to the commission, outlining a vote of no confidence regarding Executive Director Gibboney. The letter and an employee survey were shared with The Olympian.
“We do not believe Sam Gibboney has the capacity to provide the Port of Olympia with the quality leadership and oversight essential to the organization’s health, effectiveness, and functioning,” the letter reads. “The negative impact of the hostile and ineffective work environment we experience has worsened over the past two years.”
All three port commissioners — Joe Downing, Bob Iyall and Amy Evans Harding — declined to comment on Roe being placed on leave because it is a personnel matter.
But Evans Harding did offer this: “My experience with Allyn was that he created excellent results for our real estate department,” she said.
