Spokane Valley councilman on extended sick leave resigns

A Spokane Valley councilman on extended sick leave for cancer treatment the past 18 months has resigned his post.

The move – following the abrupt resignations this spring of two other councilmen – leaves the city with four local lawmakers. That remains enough to conduct most city business as they choose three replacements.

Spokane Valley Councilman Bill Bates submitted his letter of resignation Tuesday morning. Voters elected him in 2013 but he had to take sick leave in November 2014.

Bates wrote in a brief note that he is resigning as of June 15, “because of health issues that cause me to be unable to perform the duties required of a city councilman.”

He did not return calls for comment.

In early 2015, the council selected Bill Gothmann from a pool of 18 applicants to serve in Bates’ absence.

Gothmann’s term ends on June 14 and he said has no desire to continue.

The council’s political majority has flipped since Bates was elected and have made major moves including the firing of City Manager Mike Jackson. The remaining four-member majority will now appoint replacements for the three men, including Dean Grafos and Chuck Hafner, who stood in opposition to some of the majority’s controversial decisions. Grafos and Hafner recently resigned alleging the council majority excluded them from meetings regarding Jackson’s firing.

Mayor Rod Higgins said Bates’ resignation is not politically motivated.

“Mr. Bates has not been to a meeting since before November of 2014,” Higgins said. “If he were a city employee, that tenure would have ended a long time ago.”

Bates remained on the city’s payroll during his absence and as of March had received about $12,000 in pay and $24,975 in benefits from Spokane Valley.

Higgins acknowledged the vacancies worry him as the city council now has to go through the appointment process three times.

“There are some things coming up that require five people to be present, like the budget amendment,” Higgins said. “That takes five votes.”

The resignations and upcoming appointments set the stage for an unusual election in 2017: five seats, with the exception of those held by Councilmen Arne Woodard and Sam Wood, will be up for election.