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February 12, 2015
Lee Soptich to step down as EFR chief By Tom Corrigan Although offered a two-year extension of his contract, Eastside Fire & Rescue Chief Lee Soptich has announced his plans to step down from the leadership of the local fire and rescue squad in January 2016. Soptich, 58, said he made his announcement to the EFR regional board of directors in December and again last month. Soptich has been EFR chief Lee Soptich since 1999. “Everything lined up for me,” he said in explaining his reasons for leaving the department. Soptich said he and wife Carrie have paid off their Carnation home and the last of his seven children will soon graduate from college. Soptich said he and his spouse, devout Mormons, decided now is an ideal time in their lives for them to take on the church mission trips they have long wanted to tackle. “That’s just in our DNA,” Soptich said, referring to the couple’s desire to work for the church. “This is what we intend to do.” Soptich said his family would keep this area as home base and he didn’t say where the family’s first mission might take them. “But I’m looking forward to it,” he said. “I think it’s just going to be so cool.” Sammamish City Councilwoman Kathy Huckabay is a new member of the EFR board of directors. She said the board held its annual retreat in late January and spent over four hours setting various goals for themselves. One is to formulate a worthy process for replacing Soptich. “He’s given us plenty of time,” she said. “And, frankly, it might take some time to find the right person… This is not something you do overnight.” With that in mind, Huckabay said she and other board members decidedly appreciate the lead time Soptich provided prior to his planned leaving. Soptich is not the only member of the EFR leadership who will be moving on. Soptich said Deputy Chief of Planning Wesley Collins and Human Resources Manager Ingrid Anderson-Boyle also plan to step down when he does EFR operates the fire stations in North Bend, Wilderness Rim and the Tiger Mountain Station near state Route 18.
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Diving for a playoff spot
Elizabeth Prewitt (13), Mount Si High School senior guard, dives for a rebound between Rachel Lundberg (11) and Amber Parker (24), of Newport, during the fourth quarter of their Feb. 6 basketball game. Prewitt had a game-high 16 points in the 54-43 win. The win cemented the seventh seed for the Wildcats in the KingCo Conference playoffs.
State audit finds fault with EFR books By Tom Corrigan State auditors made a finding of significant deficiency after completing a study of the record-keeping of Eastside Fire & Rescue. Released by the state Feb. 2, the audit covered the timeframe between Jan. 1, 2012, and Dec. 31, 2013. Fire Chief Lee Soptich said auditors took exception to how the fire district kept track of major purchases, such as emergency fire vehicles. Soptich said when such a purchase is made, each community member of EFR, such as Issaquah
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“An audit finding, that’s a serious concern.” — Thomas Shapley Washington State Auditor’s Office or Sammamish, becomes a partial owner of that equipment. He added EFR has kept track of those purchases in the same manner for many years. However, this year, auditors stated EFR methodology is incorrect. Alleged, negative audit conclusions fall into three categories: exit
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items, management letters and findings. Exit items are audit findings discussed with local officials once an audit is finished. Management letters are letters sent to upper level local officials outlining problems uncovered by an audit. In this instance, the state made a claim of an audit finding, the most severe of alleged audit conclusions. “An audit finding, that’s a serious concern,” said Thomas Shapley, deputy director of communications for the Washington See AUDIT, Page 5 Prsrt Std U.S. Postage PAID Kent, WA Permit No. 71 POSTAL CUSTOMER