County Assessor Says She Won’T Resign Mccaslin Urges Cooney’S Ouster For Violating Election Laws

The state Attorney General’s Office is poised to launch an investigation into her conduct. She faces a wrongful termination lawsuit in federal court. She’s admitted to violating election laws - for the second time. One county commissioner is calling for her to resign.

But Sadie Charlene Cooney, Spokane County’s assessor, said she plans to serve out the last two years of her term.

“I am not going to resign,” Cooney said Wednesday during a brief interview from her courthouse office. “I’m just going to keep on working.”

Her comments came the day after members of the state’s Public Disclosure Commission decided that Cooney deserved more punishment than they were authorized to dish out for alleged violations of state election laws.

Instead of ruling on the complaints, PDC members forwarded Cooney’s latest case to the attorney general for investigation. The commission, which investigates reported election violations, did reserve the right to rule on the case if the attorney general declines to act.

The stalwart Democrat admitted to the commission Tuesday that several of her employees worked on her 1998 re-election campaign while on the job, a violation of state law.

Still unresolved are charges that Cooney retaliated against employees who did not support her re-election bid.

Lynda Rouse, a former employee in the Assessor’s Office, has filed a federal lawsuit claiming she was wrongfully terminated. Cooney and Spokane County are named as defendants in the suit, which was filed in July. A trial date has not been set.

Rouse has asked for unspecified damages, but her pre-lawsuit claim against the county asked for $1.5 million.

Cooney has denied retaliating against Rouse or other employees who did not support her re-election.

“The retaliation claim is being litigated, and we’re moving forward,” she said.

Commissioner Kate McCaslin, a Republican and chief Cooney antagonist, said Wednesday that enough is enough.

“She ought to do everybody a favor and resign,” McCaslin said. “She admitted her guilt. She knew the rules, and she chose to do it anyway. To me, that casts a whole different shadow on the situation.”

McCaslin pointed out that Cooney has admitted to PDC violations in the past and has been the source of myriad other problems over the years.

McCaslin also complained that the county’s taxpayer-funded insurance carrier probably will have to pay at least a portion of Cooney’s legal bills in the case.

“That’s just outrageous,” McCaslin said.

Throughout her career, Cooney, who makes $61,000 per year, has been criticized by commissioners, state auditors and other local officials for what they call shoddy operation of the Assessor’s Office.

Under Cooney’s administration, properties have been undervalued, resulting in taxing districts losing thousands in revenue. Auditors have found problems with the way her office processes senior citizen tax exemptions, saying the process lack controls. Recently, Cooney’s office miscalculated a city of Spokane emergency medical services levy, resulting in lost income to the EMS fund.

She also has been in trouble with the PDC before.

In 1993, Cooney acknowledged using county stationery and a county fax machine to distribute a campaign statement to the media. She vowed then that such transgressions would never happen again.

“I made an `oops’ one time,” Cooney told The Spokesman-Review at the time. “I would never jeopardize our office. You try to be careful. I believe in the system.”

In 1994, she was accused of more elections law violations. Her opponent in that election, Bob Blum, filed a complaint with the PDC, saying Cooney used county equipment at a campaign appearance.

A PDC commissioner later ruled that no violation occurred in that case, the agency’s assistant director, Susan Harris, said Thursday.

Commissioner John Roskelley, a Democrat who has supported Cooney in the past, on Thursday issued a strong statement regarding her latest troubles with the Public Disclosure Commission.

While stopping short of calling for her resignation, Roskelley said Cooney deserved to be punished.

“Elected officials are responsible for the integrity of our system and need to be held accountable for any breach in this trust,” Roskelley said. “Ms. Cooney admitted using her position and office to further her campaign for assessor and will be judged in the future, not only by the state, but by her peers, her employees and the citizens accordingly.

“I hope all elected officials, present and future, take note and realize the severe consequences of our ability to lead if these types of actions go unpunished.”

Commissioner Phil Harris, a Republican, said he didn’t want to get involved.

“It’s in the hands of the PDC and Charlene,” Harris said. “This has to be something she has to wrassle with. I’m glad I don’t have to wrassle with it.”

Cooney is receiving support from her party.

Ken Pelo, chairman of county Democratic Party, said the organization has no immediate plans to call for Cooney’s resignation.

“We need to study (the PDC’s decision) more and discuss it,” Pelo said. “We would have to have a meeting of the executive board and the central committee before we could do anything.”

There is a possibility that could happen next month, he added, but it doesn’t appear likely.

“She is a longtime and reputable Democrat and a very fine lady,” Pelo said. “I know this is a very trying time for her. I want to do everything I can to support her.”

If Cooney changes her mind and decides to quit, the Democratic Party would pick a short list of possible candidates to replace her and submit those names to county commissioners, according to state law.

The commissioners then would have about two months to pick one of those people to take over until the next general election, when the seat would be up for grabs.

If commissioners were unable to agree on a replacement, the choice would be up to the governor.