New City Council is off to poor start

Alleged secret meetings, alleged secret deals, boorish behavior at public meetings, half truths and outright lies are not the best way to start a new “era of positive change.”

No, I am not talking about the first year of the Obama administration. I am describing the first week of office for the newly elected members of the Spokane Valley City Council. The alleged illegal coffee meetings at Yoke’s are well documented. Once the council members were sworn in, they were legally obligated not to make policy decisions about agenda items except at public meetings.

The dismissal of City Manager David Mercier was decided well before the meeting on Jan. 5. Deputy Mayor Gary Schimmels told anyone who asked him during the election campaign that he would not support the immediate dismissal of Mr. Mercier, but he voted for the motion. His only comment was that this was going to happen, and everyone should just accept it. Talk about my way or the highway!

The newly elected council members met at least four times before their first meeting on Jan. 5. Most of those meetings were conducted before they were sworn in. Technically, they were not in violation of the law, but ethically their behavior is shameful.

Mayor Tom Towey stated it was Mr. Mercier who brought up the idea of his being dismissed. That is half true. Mr. Mercier listened to the campaign rhetoric like everyone else. At an orientation meeting that Mr. Mercier organized for the newly elected council members, city staff provided information on how to dismiss a city manager. At the council meeting on Jan. 5 State Sen. McCaslin (aka council member McCaslin) read the motion that was provided to the incoming council members during this orientation.

Was being dismissed Mr. Mercier’s idea? Not even close to the truth, and Mayor Towey knows it. Is this an example of the “honest, open, and transparent” government they promised? Mr. Mercier’s contract requires he be paid a full year salary plus unused vacation and medical leave days. That will amount to over $200,000. What happened to the “end of frivolous spending” claimed by the members of the Positive Change slate?

Councilman Bill Gothmann asked the issue be delayed for one week so the public would know what the council planned to do on this matter. They refused with McCaslin, saying they were in a public meeting. Apparently the good senator did not understand (or care about) the need for the public to know, before the meeting, what the agenda items are for the City Council. McCaslin refused to properly pronounce Mr. Mercier’s name as he read the motion for dismissal. How rude can one be?

McCaslin’s disparaging remarks about Gothmann’s explanation of his qualifications to be mayor were out of place and in violation of the council’s governance manual requiring civil discourse at the dais. I suppose that kind of behavior is OK on the floor of the state Senate, but it has no place at a city council meeting.

Positive Change has had a very disturbing start. They must know that the folks who voted for them expect them to be open and thoughtful before taking major action that will affect this city. From their behavior, they either don’t care what the voters want or are so inexperienced they don’t know how to accomplish these very difficult tasks. Let’s hope they figure it out, and soon!