Spokane7
62°
October 9, 2009 in City
Vote ires council president
Spokane City Council President Joe Shogan accused four colleagues Thursday of lying, back-stabbing and maneuvering to weaken his authority while he was out of town. He promised to return next week, “bringing hell with me.”
Councilman Al French insisted that it was Shogan who was out of line, breaking existing council rules on “mutual respect” and blocking proposals that the council majority supports by not including those proposals on meeting agendas.
“Had Mr. Shogan been in town, everything that happened today would have still happened,” he said.
Thursday’s meeting was originally set so the council to hear the Police Department’s plans for some $2 million in budget cuts next year. But on Wednesday the council added a special session to discuss changes in the council’s rules of procedure, which govern, among other things, how the council president runs meetings and how council members’ legislative assistants are hired and fired.
Shogan is on vacation in New England and could easily have skipped a discussion of the police budget. But he called City Hall to run the special meeting by telephone.
Clearly, he was angry, calling French and three other council members who support putting the rules changes on the agenda – Steve Corker, Mike Allen and Nancy McLaughlin – a “gang of four.”
“This isn’t a life-or-death issue that has to get on the agenda right away,” he said before castigating each personally. He saved the most vitriol for French: “You’ve lied to me. You’ve prevaricated, acted behind my back, stabbed me in the back.”
None of the council members commented before voting 4-3 to put the proposed changes onto the agenda for Monday and up for public discussion in two weeks. Shogan and Councilmen Bob Apple and Richard Rush voted no, and after making sure the vote was recorded, Shogan called for adjournment: “I do intend to come back, and to quote Wyatt Earp, ‘I’m bringing hell with me.’ I’m out of here.”
French later defended the move to push the changes into the process. Four council members support the changes, which have been under discussion since last year, he said. Corker will be gone for the next two weeks and waiting for Corker’s return would mean discussing the changes in the midst of budget discussions, he said: “The only action we did was start the process.”
By blocking the proposal with majority support, Shogan was essentially vetoing it, French contended, and council rules say the president doesn’t have a veto. Those rules also call for council members to maintain respect for one another, the city and the staff, he said.
Shogan violated that rule by calling him and others liars, French said. “The only one throwing arrows today was the president.”
Romney/Paul split weighing on county GOP 
ChefGus/ John Olsen on October 09 at 6:48 a.m.
Well… it will be very interesting to see how this one plays out… I for one ( among many) who would like to be treated better when i come as a citizen to speak at open forum time… I’d like to wear my hat (for religious purposes…:)) and am precluded from speaking with the council members paying attention because of the “shogan rules” that they do not have to listen or show common courtesy… what would Miss Manners say about the Council…. Mr Allen, Ms McLaughlin, and Mr Corker are gentlepoeople… and I was surprised that Mr Rush voted against the changes… perhaps out of deference to Mr Shogan not being present… Council Meeting Monday will be a hoot…. hope the Police officers are there in abundance to remove all of the obstreperous members… It may be just Mr Shogan sitting at the Dais with Apple at the end…. john
liarsinnews on October 09 at 8:42 a.m.
Maybe Shogan, is somebody who would be great to read about in the comic strips. Where else could a person get so much free fodder even when he is out of town. What do you know Joe, being an attorney also begs the question, how tough is it to earn/get a law degree?
Rifleman__Dodd on October 09 at 2:11 p.m.
This is what is called, “A pattern of behavior”.
I thought one had to be present to be at a meeting. Maybe the next time I can call in to the public forum.
Time for Mr. Shogan to go back to living under a bridge.
Lindy on October 09 at 5:22 p.m.
As long as he’s pointing out what a donkey Al is….I say “GO JOE”!
Rifleman__Dodd on October 10 at 11:52 p.m.
Remember. If it wasn’t for Bob Apple. We would never know if those red lights on the vote board would ever work.