Inslee joins calls for Insurance Commissioner to resign, Kreidler refuses

A bipartisan group of Washington state senators has called on Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler to resign for firing a whistle-blower who came forward with reports of an inappropriate and abusive workplace in his office.

He has previously been involved in two separate scandals over the last six months, with allegations of abuse in March and allegations of using racial slurs in April.

Kreidler had used derogatory terms for transgender people, as well as people of Japanese, Mexican, Chinese, Italian, and Spanish descent, according to sources who spoke to the Seattle Times.

“I’m talking about meanness, deliberately cutting people down publicly to humiliate them, not letting bygones be bygones,” one employee said.

State insurance commissioner apologizes following reports of racial slurs

In February 2022, Jon Noski, a top aide in Kreidler’s office, filed a formal complaint against him, saying he bullied staff, used crass language, and was “antagonizing staff.” He was later placed on medical leave, and on the day of his return, was fired from the Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC).

“I’ve shared my concerns regarding Commissioner Kreidler’s leadership of the Office of the Insurance Commissioner and treatment of staff members,” Noski said. “It appears that other state leaders are voicing similar concerns.”

In a statement to MyNorthwest, a representative from the OIC said that Noski was an at-will employee and therefore not protected by any labor laws from being terminated in this manner.

“The agency made the decision to exercise its discretion to end Jon’s exempt appointment as the OIC’s legislative liaison,” a representative of OIC said in a prepared statement. “This position is an at-will, exempt appointment that the agency can end at any time. The decision to end his appointment was made following ongoing discussions with Jon about his role in the office as the agency moves forward.”

With this latest scandal, Washington lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are calling for Kreidler’s resignation.

“The claims of inappropriate workplace conduct were disturbing on their own and called into question Commissioner Kreidler’s ability to effectively lead his office,” Senate Republican Leader John Braun said. “But firing a whistleblower is completely unacceptable, and quite frankly, the final straw.”

“To be honest, I’m disturbed by this, but not at all surprised. This is consistent with the behavior he’s shown over the past couple of years in his dealings with the Legislature and with stakeholders,” said State Senator Mark Mullet (D). “Now he’s placing himself above the ethics rules of his own agency and firing the whistleblower who called him out on his actions.”

Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler should resign. Although he has had an impressive career in service, including many years of military service, it will be overshadowed by his bad behavior towards quality staff members and clinging to office far beyond a reasonable term. 1/4

— Rep. JT Wilcox (@jtwilcox111) June 17, 2022

Governor Jay Inslee has since joined the increasing number of Washington politicians advocating for Kreidler’s removal.

“All staff deserve respect regardless of their at-will status,” Inslee said in a statement on Twitter. “Therefore it’s my belief we need different leadership in this position and I believe he should resign.”

Despite growing pressure from lawmakers, Kreidler has no plans to step down, according to a statement from his office.

“The commissioner does not have any plans to step down,” the statement read. “He has addressed his past behavior with the OIC staff and remains deeply committed to not repeating it in the future.”

Kreidler was re-elected as the state’s insurance commissioner in 2020 by a 65% to 34% margin over Republican Chirayu Avinash Patel, having served as the Insurance Commissioner since 2000.