CRF&R interim chief resigns days after being appointed

Columbia River Fire & Rescue’s former interim fire chief says he resigned three days after newly elected board members voted to remove the district’s then-fire chief.

Michael Gorsuch resigned from the interim position Friday, Aug. 11, less than a week after the board voted to remove former chief Joel Medina on Tuesday, Aug. 8, and instate Gorsuch as acting chief.

The board failed to notify the public or media about a change in the agenda, seemingly breaking public meetings law, as discussion of Medina’s employment was not on the agenda for the meeting.

Gorsuch’s resignation letter to CRF&R staff stated he was “very overwhelmed and underprepared” and that he had been “threatened and chastised.”

Gorsuch declined Pamplin Media Group’s request for comment on why he resigned.

Deputy Fire Chief Eric Smythe, a communications representative for the district, did confirm the resignation but declined to comment further.

Newly elected Columbia River Fire & Rescue board members removed Medina, the district's embattled fire chief, in a 3-1 vote on Tuesday, Aug. 8.

The new district board members, Ryan Welby, Austin Zimbrick, and Rick Fletcher, then appointed Gorsuch, a battalion chief at the time, as interim fire chief.

Board member Gary Hudson, who previously opposed suggestions of placing Medina on leave or firing him, voted against Medina's removal.

Board chair Kelly Niles, who raised the suggestion of placing Medina on leave at an April 28 board meeting, abstained.

Fletcher, Zimbrick and Welby all said while campaigning that they would support placing Medina on leave but declined to say whether they would follow through once elected.

Gorsuch indicated in his resignation that the next in line for interim chief was Smythe. However, CRF&R has not confirmed whether Smythe is acting in the role or not.

The decision comes after a vote of no confidence from the union against Medina; a lawsuit from former employees that includes allegations of sexual harassment, financial mismanagement and wrongful termination against the district; and internal and criminal investigations into the district's finances.

The district hired Medina in January 2021.

"It was a relief for a lot of us," St. Helens Professional Fire Fighters Association Local 3215 president Aaron Schrotzberger told Pamplin Media Group the day after the board voted to fire Medina.

Schrotzberger also said the union supported Gorsuch.

The union's vote of no confidence was in part due to firefighters saying the fire agency is backtracking on a ratified contract , effectively cutting some employees’ wages by 10%.

After working under an expired contract for over eight months, IAFF Local 3215, ratified a contract with CRF&R’s board on March 15. However, the union says the district emailed them two days later to say it wouldn’t uphold part of the contract.

The union and district are currently going through an arbitration process to settle the grievance.

The union also indicated the lawsuit against Medina was a factor.

Schrotzberger said that although initially disappointing, the union's membership "understands and supports Mike Gorsuch’s resignation," he said. "We respect anyone that places their own health, well-being, and family first."

Schrotzberger also said the newly elected board has given the union hope for the future of the district.

"Over the past six months, we’ve grown from a terrible level of hopelessness under a tyrannical administration, to a more unified union than ever before," he said. "We now operate under a Board that gives us hope and a fresh perspective. There’s something to be said for having leadership that cares about their workforce, and for once in decades, we’re finally starting to feel some of that."

Former Columbia River Fire & Rescue employees Jennifer Motherway, Anika Todd and Monica Cade still have an ongoing lawsuit against the district that includes allegations against Medina and Smythe.

In addition to the former employees' allegations of financial mismanagement, Medina himself also raised the alarm in April. The district launched its own internal audit after Medina said he brought concerns to then-District Attorney Jeff Auxier. Auxier confirmed he had opened an investigation into the district's finances in tandem with the Oregon State Police.

In June, CRF&R's forensic auditor, Rob Moody, informed the district of evidence he found that potentially multiple former employees had defrauded the district.

Moody said that between 2016 and 2022, there was $52,000 in overpaid rates or benefits for PERS, over $1 million underreported in workers’ compensation, and unreconcilable credit card charges.

The report named Motherway, Todd and Cade, among other employees, including Fletcher. The three former employees then amended their lawsuit after the district's internal audit found evidence of fraud and pointed at the three plaintiffs, among other employees.

Motherway, Todd and Cade say they have evidence that all allegations made against them in a draft forensic report are inaccurate, and that CRF&R officials knowingly withheld information to incriminate them. The case will go to a trial by jury, though the court has not set a date.

Both financial investigations also remain ongoing .

Schrotzberger said the board has shared with the union that it is "actively and diligently working to find an interim fire chief who will fit the new vision and outlook for this Fire District."