Mayor Walters swears in Mannix McDonald as fire chief; resident asks for written due diligence on appointment

Mayor Ryan Walters swore in Mannix McDonald as chief of the Anacortes Fire Department and administered oaths to Lieutenant David Getman and three newly hired firefighters during the council’s July 20 meeting. The council applauded the new appointees and posed for a group photo following the ceremony.

The swearing-in came before the council moved into a work session of department reports. During the public comment period, Courtney Oroc of Ward 1 asked the city to provide a written response detailing what financial due diligence was completed prior to the fire‑chief appointment. Oroc said the request was not meant as a personal attack but as a taxpayer accountability measure and asked whether the city’s insurer or risk pool had been consulted about possible liability exposure or insurance impacts.

“Was the city's insurer or risk pool consulted regarding whether this appointment could have any impact to the city's liability exposure, insurance coverage, premiums, deductibles, or risk management requirements?” Oroc asked. She requested that the city provide a written answer to those questions.

Mayor Walters and council members congratulated the new chief and department hires but took no formal action at the meeting to respond to the request; the public comment closes without an immediate written answer. Chief Mannix McDonald provided his departmental Q2 report later in the session, highlighting inspections, promotional exams and ongoing recruitment.

Next steps: the request from the public comment period will remain on record; the city did not announce a timeline in the meeting for a written response to Oroc’s due‑diligence questions.