OLYMPIA, Wash. - Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee is now among a growing number of people saying elected Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler should resign.
The calls for the 78-year-old, six-term Democrat, to step down come after the Northwest News Network reported Wednesday that Kreidler’s office had fired employee Jon Noski.
Noski in February submitted a written complaint saying Kreidler had bullied him and was increasingly "antagonizing staff." Noski served as Kreidler’s legislative liaison, a role that required him to advocate with lawmakers on behalf of the insurance commissioner’s office.
Noski was fired Tuesday, the same day he returned to work from medical leave. The agency gave no reason for Noski’s firing.
"I knew I was risking my profession by making a complaint about the Commissioner's abusive behaviors and inappropriate language," Noski told FOX 13 News.
When asked if he believed he was fired in retaliation for the complaint, Noski told FOX 13: "All I will say to that at this point is prior to filing a complaint, there had been no discussions of reprimanding me or repositioning me and I stand by my work for the state of Washington at OIC and other agencies which I worked at."
Other current and former insurance commissioner staff also told the Northwest News Network they had been subject to or witnessed what they described Kreider verbally mistreating staff and also, at times, using racially offensive language.
Kreidler said in February that he was...
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