When members of the Bucoda Town Council convened for their regular monthly meeting at the Bucoda Community Center on Tuesday, Aug. 11, the council was one member short.
Bucoda Town Councilor John Wood had submitted his letter of resignation that day, effective immediately.
During the meeting, Bucoda Mayor Callie Carpenter addressed Wood’s resignation letter after talking with City Attorney Marissa Jay.
“I did ask counsel to prepare statements for anything in his resignation letter that she thought could possibly be rebutted. And after talking to Marissa, she said, really, that what was said was unfounded, and in her opinion didn’t require a response,” Carpenter said.
The council voted unanimously to accept Wood’s resignation letter and begin the process of seeking qualified applicants to fill the council vacancy. City staff will mail notices to Bucoda residents concerning the vacancy along with requirements and how to apply by submitting a letter of interest.
Wood emailed a copy of his resignation letter to The Chronicle, which explained that while he initially liked Carpenter's vision for the South Thurston County Community, he no longer supported the direction things were going.
“I would rather work towards the betterment of the town, and I have been given a more prominent role with the Tenino Food Bank to better direct goods and services to Bucoda,” Wood wrote. “In my new position, I will have a chance to create and direct events to benefit Bucoda, unfettered by the short-sighted vision of politicians. Thank you for the opportunity to serve the Town of Bucoda. It was a great honor, and one I would have continued if these and many other questions regarding the mayor and her staff had been addressed.”
He took issue with how the Boo-Coda Spook-Tacular and open gym time at the Bucoda Gym were both ended after the town’s insurance provider, the Association of Washington Cities (AWC) Risk Management Agency, stated the town was out of coverage compliance for its official sponsorship of multiple events, as previously reported by The Chronicle.
Earlier this year, an AWC representative spoke at a Bucoda Town Council meeting and suggested finding a third-party nonprofit organization to take over sponsorships of these events to handle liability — but so far no organization has come forth. The Boo-Coda Spook-Tacular was a month-long Halloween festival which made Bucoda known as “the smallest town with the biggest Halloween spirit,” and featured casket races, a hearse procession parade, a haunted house and more.
Wood had other criticisms. His full resignation letter can be found along with this article at chronline.com.
Wood was appointed to a council vacancy in June of 2025. He replaced former Bucoda Town Councilor Michelle Layton, who resigned due to health concerns. Per state law, the council has 90 days from the date of Wood’s resignation to appoint his replacement.
Among Wood’s other criticisms were concerns over a proposal to connect the Town of Bucoda to the City of Tenino’s sewer system, some 4 miles to the north. Earlier this year, Carpenter began talking with Thurston County and City of Tenino officials about potentially connecting Bucoda to Tenino’s sewer system after concerns were raised about septic tank contamination during flooding events, with Bucoda being on the banks of the Skookumchuck River.
Per the town’s state-law mandated Comprehensive Plan guiding its growth over the next 20 years, installing a sewer system is also required.
Previously, Carpenter stated the proposal to hook up to Tenino’s existing sewer system would save Bucoda taxpayers money over the long run as they would avoid having to fund the construction of a water treatment facility. Wood believed many Bucoda residents wouldn’t be able to afford to hook up their homes to a new sewer line to begin with, or the monthly utility fees.
During Tuesday’s meeting, Carpenter reiterated hooking up to the sewer system would not be mandatory, and this project was still merely a proposal in the feasibility study stage after they got the OK from the Thurston County Board of County Commissioners.
“The commission approved, it passed unanimously, to support us doing a pre-engineering study, so see what the feasibility of that is, all the pros and cons, all of the studies that go into it, environmental, all that,” Carpenter said.
She added she was submitting a request for quotations (RFQ) from municipal engineers to start pre-engineering.
“When we get the RFQs, we’ll be able to take a look at those and see which one is recommended and whatnot,” said Carpenter. “... And all of it has come from secured funding. None of it is coming from the general fund from the Town of Bucoda.”
Additionally, Carpenter stated Catalina Amórtegui, Thurston County and Olympic Peninsula Director for U.S. Sen. Patty Murray’s office, has also offered to help apply for federal grant funding which, if approved, would cover the cost of residents hooking up to a sewer system in the future.
Here's Wood's full letter:
“I am writing to formally resign from my position as Town Council Member #4, effective immediately.
“It has been an honor to serve the Town of Bucoda as a Town Council Member and previously, as Co-Chair of the Bucoda Halloween Festival. When the Mayor extended an invitation to join the Town Council over a year ago, I initially hesitated. However, upon hearing her vision for the town, I was persuaded. Her idea to foster a sense of community spirit that would unite the town, transform Bucoda into a desirable place for residents to live and raise their children, and implement programs that would benefit the children of Bucoda, aligned perfectly with my own.
“Throughout last year, the mayor diligently pursued those goals. Last year, she spearheaded the creation of the ‘Summer Open Gym’ program, successfully raised a record amount of funds for the Bucoda Halloween Festival, contributed to the community garden, and actively sought grants to repair the gym and to ultimately transform it into a multi-use facility that the townspeople and others could rent and utilize.
“However, none of these actions are feasible anymore. She has publicly criticized each of these ideas as ‘liabilities.’ And, she is decided to focus on plans that will be to the detriment of our town.
“Especially regarding the recent proposal to bring a sewer system to the town. It is paramount to consider the significant financial implications this would cause. This proposal could potentially lead to financial ruin for many townspeople who would be unable to afford the installation of a sewer system costing anywhere between $15,000 and $25,000. Additionally, it would impose a monthly charge of over $150 on the citizens of Bucoda, which could severely impact the budgets of many families and residents. Bucoda is already one of the poorest per capita towns in Washington, and such a proposal would exacerbate this financial burden.
“The mayor has stated that the state has informed her that Bucoda will eventually be required to install a sewer system. However, this is not entirely accurate. Under Chapter RCW 35.67, there is no legal mechanism for the state to force a sewer system upon a town. If the town's lack of a centralized sanitation system leads to a ‘severe pollution problem,’ the Washington state Department of Ecology can intervene under Chapter RCW 90.48. But this would have to be preceded by ‘failing individual septic systems discharging pollutants into state waters or groundwaters.’ Which HAS NOT HAPPENED. Therefore, it is crucial to determine who within the mayor's staff has requested this action and for what reason they would fabricate a statement.
“I genuinely believed in the mayor's vision for the town and was a strong supporter, working with her to make it a reality. However, I have come to realize that this vision has undergone a significant change, and I no longer wish to be involved in a plan that is detrimental to Bucoda. I would rather work towards the betterment of the town, and I have been given a more prominent role with the Tenino Food Bank to better direct goods and services to Bucoda. In my new position, I will have a chance to create and direct events to benefit Bucoda, unfettered by the short-sided vision of politicians.
“Thank you for the opportunity to serve the Town of Bucoda. It was a great honor, and one I would have continued if these and many other questions regarding the mayor and her staff had been addressed. Sincerely, John Wood”
