With some harsh words directed at City Councilman John Hendrickson, Kenmore City Manager Fred Stouder asked Jan. 24 that local legislators consider terminating his contract as soon as possible.

Reading from a prepared statement during council’s regular meeting, Stouder said he made the request as a direct result of the alleged “continued disruptive behavior” of Hendrickson.

“In over 40 years of serving the public, I have never encountered a more disruptive, manipulative, destructive and dangerous elected official or citizen than councilmember John Hendrickson,” Stouder asserted.

Stouder added a couple of times that city managers should have thick skins and called his request unusual.

“However, I strongly believe that my being clear about John Hendrickson’s actions and their effects and my making this statement may be the most important contributions I can make to this community and future city governments,” he said.

Hendrickson has become a controversial figure, drawing the ire of not just Stouder, but also the rest of Kenmore City Council, which has voted to censure Hendrickson twice. Hendrickson is outspoken in his criticism of how the city is run, particularly regarding financial matters. He has repeatedly insisted that Kenmore is running up a deficit, something Stouder and Mayor David Baker have just as repeatedly denied.

Added Hendrickson following the meeting: “I just think, to me, it’s intimidation and political thuggery. It’s an attempt to avoid talking about the facts.”

With Kenmore’s city manager form of government, Stouder handles the day-to-day operation of the city while Baker is largely its ceremonial head and chief spokesperson, as well as acting as the president of council.

Most recently, Stouder and Hendrickson clashed over a comment the councilman made to the Bothell-Kenmore Reporter, a claim that the city is using its reserves to balance the 2011-2012 budget. Stouder’s response was a page-long memo sent to councilmembers and a roughly half-hour meeting with local media.

“It’s a complete distortion of the application of various resources,” Stouder alleged regarding the figures Hendrickson claims prove his point.

In the statement read to council, Stouder contended Hendrickson interferes with administrative tasks and intimidates city employees. He spoke about Hendrickson allegedly “distorting and lying about the simplest issues” and said those supposed distortions end up taking up way too much time among councilmembers and at City Hall.

For his part, Hendrickson tried to comment after Stouder read his statement, but was cut off by Baker. Hendrickson said as a point of order he wanted some clarification as to whether Stouder was effectively resigning. Baker responded that there was no point of order to be made. At that point, Councilman Allan Van Ness asked council to pass a motion reaffirming its confidence in Stouder. Hendrickson again tried to comment, but was unable to say more than a sentence or two before Baker once more cut him off, stating it was obvious Hendrickson wasn’t going to support the motion, which passed 6-1.

Citing a personal commitment, Stouder had said earlier in the meeting he would be leaving after he read his statement. He departed after the council vote of support, which he called unexpected. Though Hendrickson undoubtedly has community supporters, Stouder received a round of applause from the audience as he walked out of the council chamber.

At the end of the session, Baker tried to close the meeting without allowing for the usual council comment session, stating the comment period had been left off the agenda. Other councilmembers, including Hendrickson, said that wasn’t the case and the meeting was reopened. When Hendrickson began his comments, this time he was interrupted by Councilwoman Laurie Sperry who said the rules of council forbade personal attacks. Hendrickson had been commenting on alleged problems Stouder had in cities where he had worked previously. Hendrickson did manage to say council rules were supposed to foster an atmosphere of mutual respect, something he implied is obviously lacking among Kenmore officials.

“It’s not about me,” he said. “It’s about the issues.”

Hendrickson was allowed to ask several questions about the budget and announced he would be making a public-records request regarding remarks made by Baker in the past.

During his comments, Councilman Glenn Rogers never referred to Hendrickson, but said respect needs to be earned and that mutual respect needs to run both ways.

“I don’t think you can demand, force respect,” Rogers said.

One key argument Hendrickson has voiced many times is that the city does not have the money to maintain or improve its roads and infrastructure. He has said current officials are ignoring the advice of King County leaders, advice offered when Kenmore became a city in 1998. That advice was that local officials save as many dollars as possible for roadwork. Hendrickson said that is why Stouder, Baker and the rest of council have so strenuously resisted his point of view.

“Because they don’t want to be held accountable for the loss of infrastructure dollars in favor of excess administrative costs,” he said.

What happens next wasn’t made totally clear. Neither Baker nor any other councilmember commented on Stouder’s request his contract be terminated. Stouder was slated to retire at the end of 2010, but in the end agreed to stay for another year. In its budget for 2011, council included money to hire a search firm to help find Kenmore’s next city manager. Some preliminary work was done by a search firm in 2010 and council seems likely to rehire that same firm to finish the job.