State auditor drops Hansen's letter issue

EPHRATA — A spokesperson for the state Auditor’s Office said on Friday the agency decided to do nothing about the removal of Grant PUD Commissioner Greg Hansen’s name from a letter.

Hansen recently scratched his name off an employee and management support letter sent to PUD employees. All commissioners signed the letter.

He claims the letter isn’t a public document, but the PUD cited a section in the Revised Code of Washington concerning “injury to a public record.”

He removed his name because he does not support Grant PUD General Manager Tim Culbertson after attorney Ray Foianini’s contract wasn’t renewed.

Hansen did say he did support the employees.

Auditor spokesperson Mindy Chambers said the PUD is doing what they need to do as they spoke to their attorney about different options.

“There’s no reason at this point for us to go in there,” she explained. “We would have to determine first of all, if he did what they say he did, and if the law they’re citing applies.”

The situation could change if different information was brought to state’s attention, or if the PUD wasn’t trying to figure out what to do, she said.

Hansen said he isn’t concerned about the issue and suspects the commission isn’t going to do very much.

As far as he’s concerned, the matter is over, he added.

“I think they (the commissioners) overreacted,” he commented. “I think it was just a political thing, so I’ll leave it at that.”