Thurston County Commissioner Wayne Fournier has another full-time job. In another county.
He’s a firefighter in Grays Harbor.
At a board of county commissioners meeting on Tuesday, April 15, Fournier’s dual employment was questioned by Jon Pettit, a Thurston resident and a longtime county critic.
Standing at the podium, Pettit accused Fournier of “playing commissioner” after working as a full-time firefighter in his “first position job.” According to Pettit, Fournier’s employment in Grays Harbor was not allowed by the county’s own policies. Pettit took it a step further, telling Fournier he should either resign his position as commissioner or stop being a fireman.
Fournier has been a firefighter for roughly 30 years. He’s served as an elected official since first becoming a Tenino city councilor in 2012, later becoming mayor.
As The Chronicle recently reported, there is no explicit rule against Thurston County commissioners having second jobs.
Pettit’s history of gripes against county officials is well documented. In 2020, Pettit, filed an affidavit contesting Commissioner Carolina Mejia’s primary election victory, essentially questioning her United States citizenship. A later hearing found Pettit’s petition to be insufficient and lacking “meaningful information.”
In 2022, Pettit petitioned to recall Commissioner Tye Menser for malfeasance, among other claims.
Pettit was once a county commissioner candidate himself — and ultimately an unsuccessful one. His father, Delbert Pettit, served as a Thurston County commissioner in the 1970s.
In this light, it’s easy to view Pettit’s latest barb as yet another frivolous attempt to discredit an elected official, part of some vendetta against local public servants, or as he might put it, another example of his watchdog approach to government.
But when the yearly salary for a Thurston County commissioner is $147,936, well above both the state and national average, does the messenger, at least this time, bring up an interesting question?
That is, should Thurston County commissioners be allowed to hold another full-time job?
Fournier thinks so.
“In Washington state, the concept of incompatible offices is well established and defined,” Fournier wrote to the Nisqually Valley News on May 7. “Two public roles are deemed incompatible when the functions of one are inherently inconsistent with the functions of the other — for example, if one office has oversight, supervisory authority, or financial control over the other. In cases like these, a person cannot hold both roles simultaneously.”
Fournier says none of this applies to his situation.
“My role as a firefighter is in a totally different county altogether (Grays Harbor), with no legal, financial or supervisory overlap with my duties as a Thurston County commissioner. These are entirely separate jurisdictions and responsibilities. In Washington state there is actually one narrow exception to the incompatible office’s doctrine — a person can serve simultaneously as a fire commissioner and volunteer firefighter within the same department. That exception exists because of recruitment challenges in small, rural fire districts.”
On top of that, Fournier pushed back on Pettit’s claim that county commissioners are considered employees just like the rest of the county staff, and, thus, should adhere to a typically defined 40-hour work week, in this case Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. with an unpaid lunch hour.
“While public employees operate under specific workplace rules and report to supervisors, elected officials serve the public directly and answer to voters through elections,” Fournier said. “We are accountable through transparency, public participation and ultimately at the ballot box — not through internal HR policies designed for employees. Our job is to represent the public interest and make policy decisions, not to operate within a standard employee-employer relationship.”
Fournier, who has been elected twice as county commissioner, says he takes his responsibility of holding elected office very seriously. To schedule around his commissioner duties, Fournier arranges his 24-hour firefighter shifts “primarily on weekends or days when county business does not conflict.” He admits it’s not perfect, but assures that he puts in the work and there are no conflicts of interest.
In a phone conversation with the Nisqually Valley News, Fournier said he’s been open about his job as a full-time firefighter, both on the campaign trail and as an elected official.
“And when you explain it, that it’s about time management, and it’s about knowing how to do your job, people understand it, I think, pretty easily,” Fournier said. “And if you tune into our meetings, you’ll see that I’m present, I’m engaged. There’s no shortage of issues that I’m involved in. So, it comes down to: Are my constituents happy with the job that I’m getting done? And am I showing up there when they need me? And the answer has always been yes.”
Fournier said firefighters’ unique shift structure, which includes after-business and nighttime hours, allows them to pursue second careers. According to Fournier, some might start construction jobs or become accountants. Others go into politics.
Fournier mentioned several firefighters who have held office in Washington state, such as Rep. Dan Griffey, Rep. Dan Bronoske and former Sen. Kevin Van De Wege.
