Why i stepped dowN
On August 11, the Mercer Island Reporter published a story I helped bring to light:
I came forward because our kids weren’t safe and because school leadership chose to protect its image instead of protecting our children. I’ve been attacked, stalked, and lied about endlessly for telling the truth. But I’d do it again, because leaders lead even when the cost is high.
Since then, my family has endured more than most people will ever know. We’ve been harassed online, targeted publicly, and dragged through lies meant to break us down. I’m stepping down from the school board race because my first duty is to protect my family. But stepping down isn’t giving up it’s passing the torch to the community.
The Truth Mercer Island Deserves to Know
Despite what district leaders have claimed publicly, this was not a one-victim case.
Superintendent Fred Rundle told the community there was only one victim. Yet police records show that he personally submitted the name of a second victim, originally reported when he served as interim superintendent in 2016, along with a witness, to the Mercer Island Police Department just five days after teacher Michael Twombley was placed on administrative leave in 2023.
According to a 2023 police report, the witness and reporter of this relationship said that when she first came forward, “the principal interrogated her about how she knew this information and who she was. She advised me that due to the principal’s aggressive manner in addressing her concerns, she did not feel comfortable identifying herself.”
That same pattern of intimidation and dismissal is something my family and I have experienced firsthand after speaking up.
The records make it clear: the district knew there were multiple victims. Yet they still allowed the teacher to quietly resign after 14 months on paid leave, collecting roughly $162,000, and retain his lifetime pension, estimated at $68,600 a year. He remains eligible to reapply to teach elsewhere.
And he’s not the only one. Reports indicate multiple victims across at least two known teachers spanning two decades, a pattern of silence, cover-ups, and protection of the district’s reputation over the safety of its children.
My Call to the Community
I’ve done what I can. Now it’s up to you.
Use your voice. Use your vote.
Demand accountability. Stand with survivors. Protect our kids.
Mercer Island deserves schools that are safe, transparent, and honest.
Change won’t come from silence; it will come from all of us demanding it together.
Brian