The Cascade Bicycle Club's annual membership meeting Thursday night became a public airing of the job performance of its lobbyist, David Hiller, before the meeting was shut down abruptly at 8:45. It ended without resolution of many of the club's internal disputes.

The 13,000-member club's board fired longtime executive director Chuck Ayers earlier this month. Later, the board agreed to hire him back on an interim basis, but many members are angry and believe the board is out of touch.

A group of members has organized an effort to recall the board.

The board has said some statements made to the media by the sometimes-outspoken Hiller damaged the club's reputation. Board chairman Chris Weiss was asked by a member at the end of the meeting at REI whether Ayers was given an "ultimatum" and told he had to fire Hiller or be fired himself.

Weiss said no, so Ayers - who resisted getting involved in the conversation for most of the meeting-- took the mike and said that, in January, the board did advise him to fire Hiller over a quote in the The Stranger.

Ayers said he considered it, but after speaking with other staff and members, he decided to keep Hiller. "And if I get fired for protecting my staff, so be it," he said.

Weiss protested, saying after that incident, Ayers seemed unwilling or unable to rein in Hiller. Even after Ayers said Hiller was "restricted" from speaking to the media without doing a media training, Hiller was quoted about other issues.

"Our concern is not with David," Weiss said. "The concern is with Chuck as executive director -- is he able to manage his staff?"

Hiller, who sat through the meeting near the back of the room, declined to comment.