Letters obtained by VirtueOnline revealed "significant leadership and management issues that need to be addressed in a timely and comprehensive manner". As a result, the vestry adopted a Resolution asking that Olympia Bishop Greg Rickel appoint an independent party to assess leadership and management issues at the Cathedral.

Earlier in the fall, The Rt. Rev. Cabell "Cabby" Tennis, a mediation consultant and former Bishop of Delaware and Dean of Saint Mark's Cathedral, led the Dean, Vice-Dean and Wardens in a five-session mediation process. It was Cabby's observation, from the mediation process, that the Cathedral is experiencing significant leadership and management issues that need to be addressed in a timely and comprehensive manner. Based on Cabby's recommendation, the Vestry adopted the following Resolution.

"Be it resolved that the Vestry of Saint Mark's Cathedral requests the Bishop of Olympia to appoint an outside party to confer with all relevant persons to assess leadership and management issues at Saint Mark's Cathedral and make recommendations for improvement. Both the Vestry and the Bishop will be considered clients to whom the results will be presented." The Bishop pledged to take steps to put this process in motion immediately. The letter was dated December 11, 2007.

On December 27, 2007, Bishop Rickel wrote a letter to St. Mark's saying that he was appointing the Rt. Rev. Herbert Donovan, former Bishop of Arkansas (1980 to 1993) and secretary of the House of Bishops, to look into the situation and report back to him. He will be at the cathedral from January 28th through February 1st.

Wrote Rickel: "I have made it clear to Bishop Donovan that he has full access to anyone he wishes, to request a meeting, and to information he feels would be necessary to fully assess leadership and management issues at St. Mark's. I urge you all to keep your community in your prayers. I urge you to resist making uninformed comment, or speculation. I urge you to be gentle with one another and generous in your compassion as we move in hope for the future."

Another letter revealed that the central issue is a revised timeline around the 2008 budget brought about by the resignation of Mary Coon, Chief Operating Officer, and the previously scheduled vacation time of Nancy Pearson, Property and Project Manager. These were the two compelling factors in proposing a revised timeline.

At the time of his pay raise, Worldnetdaily White House reporter and former episcopal priest Les Kinsolving attempted to reach Taylor to ask him how he could justify such a huge pay raise while the church fell short of its annual fund-raising goal and would be laying off three women. Taylor said he was "too busy" to talk to him.

Wrote Kinsolving, "with additional benefits, including a provided home and car allowance, this cathedral dean accepted a raise to what is worth nearly one-quarter of a million dollars - at the same time he fired three women, including two who are clergy."

"I wanted to ask this dean if he had ever considered taking a cut in pay down to 75 or $50,000 - so that these two clergywomen and one other lady employee would not become unemployed - even as Dean Taylor got wealthier."

"Dean Taylor's appalling treatment of these women may possibly be due to the widely reported news - at the time he was nominated to be bishop in San Francisco - that he is a practicing and announced homosexual," wrote Kinsolving.

"About 100 fewer families pledged for 2007 than the 630 who gave last year, with parishioners divided and some announcing they are leaving the church. The first Sunday after the announcement (of Taylor's firing the three women), some parishioners held signs at services supporting those laid off."

Taylor was one of five finalists to become the next Bishop of California. He was handily defeated by The Rt. Rev. Mark Handley Andrus, bishop suffragan of the Diocese of Alabama.

END