The Port of Benton Commission has placed Executive Director Diahann Howard on paid administrative leave as it conducts an internal review, a decision approved during a Jan. 7 special meeting.

The unanimous vote by the port’s commissioners came during its first meeting of the new year. Commission President Bill O’Neil has been authorized to oversee next steps, including the appointment of an interim executive director, to ensure continuity of operations during the review.

Commissioners didn’t explain why Howard, who has served as executive director since 2019, was placed on leave, calling it a confidential personnel matter.

O’Neil, the newest face on the three-member commission, was elected to his seat during the November general election. He was named president during the Jan. 7 meeting, which also was his first as a commissioner.

The commission updated its rules of policy and procedure to allow the election of officers at this special meeting instead of the first regularly scheduled commission meeting of the year.

Commissioners met during a closed-door session to discuss personnel and “to receive and evaluate complaints or charges brought against a public officer or employee” for 2 hours and 45 minutes before announcing the paid suspension. The agenda indicated the discussion would take 15 minutes.

Commissioner Scott Keller was in the closed-door session to discuss the personnel item noted on the agenda.

He then waited in the lobby for the remainder of the session while O’Neil, Commissioner Lori Stevens and attorney John O’Leary met behind closed doors.

O’Neil said after extensive discussion of an investigative report, the commission would defer action until the Jan. 14 regular commission meeting.

In a separate motion, the commissioners suspended Howard with pay while an investigation takes place. Howard’s annual salary was about $212,000 in 2024, according to a nationwide salary database.

Prior to suspending Howard, commissioners unanimously voted to strip her of much her power, including suspending her ability to hire and fire port staff, having the port attorney’s role fall under supervision of the commission president rather than her, limiting the her ability to execute property agreements without commission approval, and increasing commission oversight.

In a public comment, former port commissioner Roy Keck, who lost his seat to O’Neil in the recent election, criticized the amendments, calling them “sweeping changes to the port’s standing policies and procedures that would remove all authority from the executive director and vest it entirely on the commission.”

The port released a statement the day after the meeting saying it would not be providing additional details at this time.

“The port remains committed to a fair, thorough, and impartial process consistent with its responsibilities as a public agency and employer,” the release said.

O’Neil emphasized the port’s commitment to maintaining a professional and respectful workplace in the release.

“Our employees deserve a safe and supportive environment, and the community deserves confidence in how we operate. The commission is taking appropriate steps to address workplace concerns responsibly while ensuring uninterrupted port operations,” O’Neil said in the release. “We appreciate the professionalism of our staff during this process and remain committed to transparency to the extent permitted by law and best practices.”

The incumbent commissioners are Keller, who retired as the port’s executive director in 2019 after more than 30 years with the agency, and Stevens, a fourth-generation resident of the Lower Valley and graduate of Sunnyside High School, who is the owner-operator of Airfield Estates Winery and Airport Ranches Inc. in Prosser.

O’Neil is a semi-retired NASA engineer and part-time experimental aircraft builder and test pilot.

In 2025, the port had an approved operating budget of $9.7 million, non-operating budget of $12.8 million, capital budget of $12.9 million and will collect $3.2 million in 2025 for property taxes.