Mayor’s reckless acts unacceptable
The community does not have to believe the most serious allegations against Mayor Jim West before concluding he should resign. It doesn’t take a crime to render him ineffective. Ethics matter, and the facts that West doesn’t dispute are compelling enough. The mayor trolled an Internet site for very young dates. One of his contacts was still in high school; he thought another was too (“your mom and dad home now?”), although it was actually a decoy posing as a 17-year-old. In transcripts of the online conversations he admits, West showed a willingness to entice impressionable young men with the trappings of his office: an internship, hints of out-of-town trips, autographed sports memorabilia, etc. Sometimes he used a city computer. There is plenty in American politics today to make citizens jaded about public officials. But when a 54-year-old mayor sets his romantic sights on confused adolescents, that pushes cynicism to new levels.
Since publication of the initial articles, a former member of the Spokane Human Rights Commission has come forward and said he resigned because West kept pestering him for dates. He concluded he was offered the job because of the potential for sex not because of his resume. Another young man who says he chatted with West online said he was offered jobs at City Hall.
The mayor’s reckless behavior could have put the city in a compromising position if an online correspondent had chosen to expose him. Last year, the governor of New Jersey, James McGreevey, resigned after revealing he had an affair with a male security aide. At the time, McGreevey noted that if his behavior had remained a secret, he would have left the governor’s office “vulnerable to rumors, false allegations and threats of disclosure.”
Yet despite the recklessness, the misuse of office and the abuse of power, some City Council members have shown far too much deference. Only Cherie Rodgers and Mary Verner have called for West’s resignation. Three others, Dennis Hession, Al French and Joe Shogan, voted for a nonbinding resolution that called for the mayor to step aside until investigations are completed. Bob Apple and Brad Stark say West should continue as mayor for the time being.
It’s not good enough for council members to wait and see. The mayor who was elected in 2003 and brought civility to City Hall is not the same mayor who quietly returned to the job Thursday after a short, self-imposed absence. The current mayor has a cloud over his head and is burdened with distractions.
City Council members need to recognize the limitations. They are elected to lead, and their leadership is needed to safeguard the city’s best interests. Many well-meaning people have processed West’s repugnant behavior through a biblical prism (“Let he who casts the first stone …”). At the annual Leadership Prayer Breakfast on Friday, he received a welcome.
Forgiveness is a wonderful human trait, but West hasn’t asked for it. If he does, that’s a personal issue between him and the community. Meanwhile, the city’s municipal well-being must be considered, too, which is why the City Council needs to take a bold stand.