The trustees of Renton Technical College on a 3-1 vote just after 6 p.m. Tuesday fired Don Bressler as the college’s president.

Tuesday was Bressler’s 69th birthday.

Bressler’s termination is effective on Aug. 21; he will remain on the job until then. Friday, the trustees will begin the process of finding a replacement.

The vote came after numerous community leaders, including former college trustees, spoke in support of Bressler, saying his loss would damage the college and the community.

Mayor Denis Law, who attended the trustees’ meeting but didn’t speak, sent a letter to the board Monday in which he wrote he hoped the board and Bressler could resolve their issues in a way that avoided damage to the reputation of RTC, Bressler and the board.

“I want to make sure you are aware of how important this college is to the Renton community, and – more importantly – how critical it is that the current collaborative relationship Dr. Bressler has fostered and led since his arrival here continues into the future,” Law wrote.

The board cited a provision in Bressler’s contract that allows for “termination for convenience” as the reason for its decision.

The board’s decision was met with anger and disbelief from those watching the proceedings.

Trustee Rich Zwicker, twice a RTC graduate, resigned his position immediately after casting the lone no vote and left the meeting, to extended applause from the audience.

Zwicker had moved that the trustees accept an “amicable resolution” proposed by Bressler during the open meeting; Zwicker’s motion died for lack of a second.

The fifth member of the board, Tyler Page, is recovering from injuries suffered in an accident and did not attend the meeting. Trustees are appointed by the governor.

During the meeting Bressler, who sat in the audience, addressed the board before public comment. He read from a letter dated Aug. 7 to the board in which he proposed hiring an organizational psychologist or a team-building consultant “to assist board members and himself in understanding and working in their respective roles.”

The letter was in response to a July 31 executive session in which the board told Bressler it was reviewing his future as college president, which could include termination. The board gave Bressler a week to decide whether he would leave the college on his own.

“I can state to you today that I cannot resign,” Bressler told the board, before reading in public the Aug. 7 letter to the board.

After the meeting, Bressler, who has been RTC president for nine years and has completed the first year of a three-year contract extension, declined to comment until he has a chance to speak with his lawyer. Bressler was considering retirement when the board extended his contract.

Under the termination provisions of his contract, Bressler will be paid a full year’s salary, or $148,000.

After the meeting, trustee chairwoman Ronnie Behnke read the following statement:

“The board and president want to take the college in different directions. The majority of the board felt it was in the best interest of the college for the board and president to part ways. We want to thank Dr. Bressler for his years of service to the college.”

Behnke, along with trustees Frank Irigon and Ira Sengupta, voted to fire Bressler.

Earlier in the meeting, the board had discussed forming subcommittees that would oversee such key matters at the college as budget, financing, community relations and personnel. The board decided to continue discussing those committees at a board retreat later.

The board also set a meeting for 4 p.m. Friday to begin the process of hiring a new president.

The board met in a roughly 60-minute executive session after hearing from a number of speakers in the large audience.

Asked after the meeting what effect audience comment had on the board’s decision, Behnke said that everyone has a right to comment. “The board listened to their comments,” she said.

Lee Wheeler, a former Renton fire chief and former member of the Renton Technical College Foundation board, said he has been a financial contributor to the college for years and wants to continue to do so.

Bressler, he said, “has done an outstanding job.”

“This gentleman has our full support,” he said.

Support also came from Jim Medzegian, a former RTC trustee who helped initially hire Bressler.

“He looked like a perfect fit,” Medzegian said. He had heard the discussion about the possible new committees the board was considering and commented that it seemed like the board was trying to take over college operations. Board member Irigon interjected that that wasn’t the case.

Typically, operations of such institutions are left to who in essence is the CEO, in this case the RTC president. The governing board provides policy direction.

Bill Taylor, president of the Renton Chamber of Commerce, spoke of a community partnership – a “five-legged stool” – that can take credit for a number of civic advances in Renton for the last 20 years or so.

That partnership includes Renton Technical College, Valley Medical Center, the Renton Chamber of Commerce, the Renton School District and the City of Renton.

Taylor said the Renton Small Business Development Center wouldn’t exist without Bressler’s leadership.

A 17-year member of the college faculty, Brian Thompson, spoke out against the management of the college, including Bressler. Thompson’s last day is Thursday; he is one of about two dozen RTC employees who are losing their jobs because of budget cuts.

He told the trustees that the reason for the layoffs has nothing to do with money.

“It’s been a failure of management,” he said.

Community member Ben Johnson, his son in his arms, asked for an explanation of the board’s reasoning.

“If there’s a need for change, please explain it to us,” he said.

After the meeting, Johnson walked up to the board and admonished it for its decision.

In an interview, Greg Taylor, a member of the Renton City Council, questioned the process leading up to the trustees’ decision. He said it didn’t seem like there was enough “transparency” to make the decision to fire the president of a college “that has been run successfully.”

“Don Bressler is a good fit,” he said.