City prosecutor still on ballot after June DUI arrest
A city prosecutor arrested for DUI in June remains on the ballot for a Spokane Municipal Court judge position despite all signs pointing to an abandoned campaign.
Adam Papini, who was cited June 4 for allegedly driving drunk near Cheney while his 10-year-old son was in the back seat, has not returned requests from the Spokane County Bar Association to participate in a candidate questionnaire, has not reached out to Municipal Court Judge Tracy Staab, whom he is running against, nor has he communicated with the county auditor’s office that he’d like to drop out.
“He hasn’t contacted anyone,” said County Auditor Vicky Dalton.
Lynn Mounsey, executive director of the Spokane County Bar Association, said most candidates will at least communicate whether they’d like to participate in the questionnaire process, which includes an interview with panel members.
“I think his lack of response to the invitation to participate was a complete refusal to participate in the process,” she said.
It’s not uncommon for candidates to drop out of a race for health concerns, change of heart, or other reasons. The deadline to have a candidate’s name taken off the ballot was May 22. But normally, Dalton said, a candidate will communicate to proper parties or the media that they’d like voters to ignore their name on the ballot, lest they earn a win.
In Papini’s case, he has not made that announcement. He and his attorney Christian Phelps have not returned multiple calls and emails seeking comment for this or other stories on his DUI. Papini did not return a request for an interview with The Spokesman-Review’s opinion editor on candidate endorsements.
He continues to work for the city. Following his arrest, he was pulled from working as a prosecutor and is now working in a different capacity in City Hall, reviewing and processing public records requests. City spokesman Brian Coddington said Papini will remain in that position until his case makes its way through Cheney Municipal Court.
“At this point the case needs to run its course before a determination is made,” Coddington said, referring to whether Papini will still be employed if he is found guilty of DUI.
In court Thursday morning, Papini was present briefly before continuing his pretrial hearing to Oct. 26. His last appearance in court was June 14, when he pleaded not guilty during his arraignment.
Papini is accused of having a blood-alcohol content of 0.161 after witnesses say they saw his silver 2008 Ford Mustang crossing the centerline multiple times on Cheney Plaza Road. If convicted, he could face up to 48 hours of jail time, or 30 days of community service.