Apple commission removes director

Interim director appointed

WENATCHEE — The Washington State Apple Commission placed its five-year president David Carlson on administrative leave and appointed Ken Severn as interim president on Monday.

In a prepared statement, the board said its “recent decision to place Mr. Carlson on administrative leave was not based on any allegations of illegal activities. The board’s decision was in the interests of effecting an orderly transition while providing Mr. Carlson the ability to search out new opportunities.”

The board decided it wanted to “move forward in a new direction and with new leadership.”

“They really haven’t shared a whole lot with me,” Carlson said. But he added the commission indicated it wants his help for an orderly transition.

Carlson said he is helping with the transition because his family raises a substantial amount of apples. He added he doesn’t want to see everything “go to pot” after five years of efforts.

The export value of apples increased by 75 percent over the past three years and other markets have been developed, he said.

In 2001, the commission was sued by industry market firms who wanted to market apples on their own and promote their own brands exclusively, he said.

A judge ruled the commission violated the firms’ rights, Carlson said. The commission ceased all activities for a period and a law was rewritten, Carlson said.

The commission is now financially solvent and is seeing higher apple prices, he said.

“I have a fairly decent reputation and a lot of support in the industry, despite the board doing this,” he said.

Carlson said his annual salary is $147,000, which includes about $20,000 for expense reimbursement. He is running the commission until the end of the month, he said.

Commission board chairperson Cragg Gilbert didn’t go into specifics about the commission’s new direction. The commission has worked on strategic planning for three or four months and expects to have the plan done by December, Gilbert said.

Severn formerly served as the commission’s interim president and was a longtime president of the Washington Fruit Commission, Gilbert said.

Search committee members told Gilbert that Severn has the experience and trust from members of the apple industry,

Severn was unavailable for comment Monday afternoon.

Gilbert said Severn’s salary will be negotiated and it will likely take the commission between four to six months to find a new permanent president.

Commissioner Murray Michael of George said he was part of Monday morning’s meeting conference call where Severn was given the authority to sign checks and enter into contracts.

“The commission is just moving in a new direction and that’s really the whole issue,” Michael said. “We’ve been asked questions about if there’s anything going on, anything unusual.”