Governor Won’t Try to Oust Washington Wildlife Commissioners at Center of Misconduct Probe - The Daily Chronicle

Governor won’t try to oust Washington wildlife commissioners at center of misconduct probe

Gov. Bob Ferguson won’t punish two members of the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission for violating public records and open meeting laws but has warned each that they will face removal if they don’t comply with state transparency statutes and conflict of interest rules in the remaining months of their terms. Letters from the governor’s office to Commissioners Melanie Rowland and Lorna Smith late Monday said their slow response to public reco…

Governor won’t try to oust Washington wildlife commissioners at center of misconduct probe - The Daily Chronicle

Gov. Bob Ferguson won’t punish two members of the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission for violating public records and open meeting laws but has warned each that they will face removal if they don’t comply with state transparency statutes and conflict of interest rules in the remaining months of their terms. Letters from the governor’s office to Commissioners Melanie Rowland and Lorna Smith late Monday said their slow response to public reco…

Commentary: A dying Fish and Wildlife commissioner’s parting letter to WA’s governor

Editor’s note: Victor Garcia, who was appointed to the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission in April 2025, died over the weekend. Before he passed, the hunter, fisherman and retired educator penned a letter to Gov. Bob Ferguson, offering a roadmap for choosing a successor who could help forge stronger ties between commissioners and with the diverse interests with whom they interact. Here is an unedited copy of the letter provided by his son. …

Ferguson won’t try to oust WA wildlife commissioners at center of misconduct probe • Washington State Standard

Gov. Bob Ferguson won’t punish two members of the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission for violating public records and open meeting laws but has warned each that they will face removal if they don’t comply with state transparency statutes and conflict of interest rules in the remaining months of their terms. Letters from the governor’s […]

Ferguson won’t try to oust WA wildlife commissioners at center of misconduct probe

OLYMPIA, WA – Gov. Bob Ferguson won’t punish two members of the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission for violating public records and open meeting laws but has warned each that they will face removal if they don’t

Smith, Rowland Warned But Not Dumped By Governor Ferguson Following Investigation

To put it into salmon fishing terms, a pair of Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission members have been left marked by the net of an investigation into their poor responsiveness to public records requests, meetings with litigious groups and actions towards WDFW staffers, but for now they swim free, albeit it with terse orders to behave for the remaining months of their terms. The post Smith, Rowland Warned But Not Dumped By Governor Ferguson Fo…