Whatcom County Executive Satpal Sidhu issued a public letter Monday, April 29 admitting to an “error in judgment” for writing a letter helping a previous county manager accused of sexual harassment get a new job.
“Today, I want to recognize that signing the letter was inappropriate and misguided,” Sidhu said, noting that he’s had many difficult conversations with colleagues, friends and family members since originally defending his stance in a Thursday, April 25 letter to Whatcom County Council members.
Cascadia Daily News stories revealed council members were unaware of the harassment claims and a $225,000 settlement paid to a female employee whose allegations and a county investigation led to then-public works director Jon Hutchings resigning in October 2022.
On Monday, Sidhu also stated Whatcom County’s handling of the allegations points toward “systemic issues in reporting protocols, transparency and action steps.”
The letter comes a day before a special meeting of the council called to discuss recent “employment law decisions.”
“While I have taken steps to strengthen policy awareness and compliance, I am fully open to discussing and identifying ways to further improve how we foster and maintain a safe work environment,” Sidhu said.
Council members and the general public became aware of the county’s handling of Hutchings’ resignation — including a glowing letter of introduction to potential employers — in a Cascade PBS investigative story published on April 19.
Whatcom Democrats Executive Board members issued a scathing open letter on Wednesday, April 24 calling for Sidhu to resign due to his handling of the situation and penning of the letter of introduction.
Sidhu on April 25 refused to step down, but said he was open to an inquiry into the county’s response to the incident.
A week ago, the recently reelected county executive previously called the decision to write the introduction letter “difficult,” but said in an email to council members: “Ultimately, we do not believe that a person is solely defined by their mistakes, and Mr. Hutchings had faced the very real consequence of losing his job.”
Monday’s letter, with the subject line, “First steps toward rebuilding trust,” struck a new tone.
“It clearly was an error of judgment not to contemplate its broader meaning and impact for employees, the organization and the community,” he wrote. “I’ve learned a valuable lesson that you must put aside past service when an employee fails to adhere to basic norms of conduct at the workplace.”
Sidhu learned of the harassment allegations in October 2022, and Hutchings signed a separation agreement in November.
Hutchings was confirmed by the Lynden City Council as public works director in May 2023.
Isaac Stone Simonelli is CDN’s enterprise/investigations reporter; reach him at isaacsimonelli@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 127.
