Auburn farmers market to open under new direction

Published 3:46 pm Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Four weeks before the Auburn International Farmer’ Market was slated to open for its second season, the City of Auburn fired Market Director Lillie Brinker and named Joanne Macnab, a member of the Market Advisory Board, as interim market manager.

Brinker, the only director the market had ever known, was stunned.

“I thought things were going along fine,” Brinker said.

Brinker added that the firing came even as she laid out a plan to increase the number of shoppers at the markets, involved more organic vendors and reached the market goal of least 37 vendors.

“I had incorporated downtown restaurants that were going to be involved,” Brinker said. “Entertainment I thought was set. And basically from there, we had workshops going on and chef demonstrations. And we had the school district involved. I had written a grant and received $31,500 from the King County Conservation District, so that was done. So I thought we were moving on.”

City officials, including Mayor Pete Lewis, Councilman Bill Peloza, Parks and Recreation Director Daryl Faber were tight-lipped about the firing, citing “personnel issues,” one of the exceptions to public disclosure requirements in Washington state.

Some insiders who declined to let their names be used for this article said the termination was a while in coming.

What Brinker wants are answers and compensation for the seven months remaining on her contract, which would have expired Dec. 31, 2010. Her annual pay was about $30,000.

The wrinkle in Brinker’s hope is that her contract — the Auburn Reporter received a copy of as part of a comprehensive public information request — made her an at-will employee, meaning the City could sever its ties with her without cause. Conversely, she also could walk away without explaining why.

Brinker said the explanation she got from Human Resources upon her dismissal May 12 was “people don’t like you,” a reminder that “the market is owned by the City,” and a reference to a problem with her “communication style.”

The uncorrected minutes of the Farmers Market Advisory board meeting of Jan. 21 hint at a strained relationship with the volunteers.

“Ronnie (board member Ronnie Roberts, owner of Gosanko Chocolate Art) immediately had concerns,” according to the minutes, and “stated that Ms. Brinker rules with an iron hand, she is too blunt, and asked what she is willing to give back.”

According to the minutes, board member Trudy Gintner said that while “she likes Ms. Brinker,” she did not like “her style of communication. No ideas were presented as to how these issues could be solved or how to move forward,” the minutes added.

According to the minutes, Brinker then told the group that “if members have issues with her style, please speak to her directly. She stated that the relationship between the market manager and the volunteers is one of partnership and collaboration.”

The comments included above were struck out of the corrected minutes that make up the official record, according to Susan Flippin, the volunteer coordinator who took those minutes.

“That meeting was basically an ambush on Lillie. They came in, she tried to start off the meeting with positive suggestions to define exactly what an advisory board would be, but several members jumped in and chewed her out,” Flippin said, while (Brinker) kept trying to bring the meeting back to order. “But it was just pointless.”

Other board members declined comment for this article.

Brinker said she believes that part of the problem was that no one seemed to know what the board’s role was meant to be — to offer advice or manage the market.

“These people felt that I wasn’t listening to them because they continually told me what I should do, and there were some things where I said I need support, are you willing to help me make this happen? And that’s where they said, ‘No, you are supposed to do it this way.’ I was told I was supposed to learn how to work with them, but nobody would provide any type of direction or answer.”

Some vendors spoke up for Brinker.

“She worked really hard to pull that market off to start with and to the end,” said a vendor from last year named Dolapo who sells Shea butter products and only allowed her first name to be used for this article. “She talked with every vendor to get them come to market. She told me how the farmers market would benefit me. When I heard she was fired, I was very sorry. I think it’s a shame and not fair. Because of this, I won’t be coming to the market this year.”

“I truly believe in the mission of the farmers market, and I thought the City and I were on the same page,” Brinker said. “But I am grateful for the opportunity to have served as director.”