After first withdrawing from the race for commissioner of the Port of Coupeville Board and then deciding to accept his victory at the November election, John Callahan announced his resignation from his District 3 commissioner position, but not due to health concerns.

The announcement surprised the rest of the board during a meeting held Dec. 27. While he did not disclose the reason behind his decision at the meeting, Callahan revealed in a statement emailed to the Whidbey News-Times on Dec. 28 that he was leaving due to differing views from the new board and its current executive director, Chris Michalopoulos.

“Given these differences, the chances of achieving any of my stated goals are non-existent and my presence would simply serve to waste valuable (Port of Coupeville) resources,” he wrote in an email. “Under these circumstances, I believe the Port is better served with a commissioner who would be more supportive of the status quo and acquiescent to the opinions of the executive director. I am not, and cannot be, that commissioner.”

Callahan also said he believes the number of commissioners should be increased to five to allow for more communication between the commissioners and to bring a more diverse set of perspectives. He explained that because there are only three commissioners on the board, the Open Public Meetings Act prohibits communication among commissioners outside of public meetings, which he said makes it hard to make any changes to the status quo.

“It inappropriately places too much deference to the preferences of the executive director rather than the commissioners elected by the citizens,” he wrote. “Although not necessarily the case, it certainly creates a potential for alliances between the executive director and individual commissioners to the detriment of the Board as a whole.”

Callahan’s term officially ended Friday, Dec. 29, as he said during the meeting. His district’s boundaries expand from the strip of land between Crockett Lake and Admiralty Bay to a few miles south of Lagoon Point.

District 1 Commissioner David Day said he was sorry to hear the news.

“I think it puts the beginning of 2024 at a disadvantage,” he said during the meeting.

Executive Director Chris Michalopoulos said in an interview that the announcement was a surprise, but it also wasn’t, as Callahan has gone back and forth with his decision over the past two months.

Callahan, who has been on the board since October 2022, announced this October that he was withdrawing from the general election due to health concerns and endorsed Angela Ewert, his opponent. Despite his announcement, he still won 56% of the vote and after receiving some encouraging health news, he decided to remain on the board.

Instead of appointing Ewert, the port will keep applications open to anyone who is interested. The port will spread the word via social media and its newsletter. Candidates will send a resume and will be interviewed in a public meeting, either a regular meeting or during a special one.

Michalopoulos explained that the port has 90 days to fill the position, and if it fails to find a replacement, it will be up to the Island County commissioners to find one in 90 days.

Michalopoulos said he doesn’t believe the vacancy will affect the port’s operations, and meetings will go on as usual. He said Callahan is the fourth commissioner to sit on the District 3 seat in the six and a half years he’s been executive director. Normally, commissioners serve four-year terms.

“That district has had the highest turnover rate of all three districts, so this is not a new scenario,” he said.