Washington State Parks director resigns after less than year

Washington State Parks Director Peter Mayer has resigned less than a year after he was appointed to lead the agency, officials said.

In a news release sent Wednesday night, an agency spokesperson said Mayer had voluntarily submitted his resignation to the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, The Seattle Times reported.

The commission held a special meeting Wednesday afternoon regarding complaints brought against "a public officer or employee." It wasn’t immediately clear whether the two events were related.

"The purpose of this October 6 special meeting is for the Commission to receive and evaluate complaints brought against a public officer or employee, to determine if the Commission needs to prescribe additional measures — including whether the Commission should place the public officer or employee who is the subject of the complaints on home assignment and appoint an interim officer to carry out the duties of that position," according to the meeting agenda.

The agenda didn’t specify the officer or employee. In Wednesday night’s news release, state Parks and Recreation Commission spokesperson Amanda McCarthy wrote that Mayer resigned voluntarily.

"Mayer’s decision to resign is based on the best interest of his family and he steps down as director to pursue other opportunities closer to his new home," McCarthy wrote. "The commission appreciates Mayer’s service to Parks and the citizens of Washington."

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