Judge orders Pacific mayor to start hiring department heads
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PACIFIC, Wash. - A superior court judge ordered the embattled mayor of Pacific start hiring department heads. The city faces an end of year deadline to have the city back and running at full strength or it'll lose its insurance.
Late Monday night, the mayor posted fliers inside City Hall to fill the vacancies that have practically brought city government to a halt here. That's why the city council said it had no choice but to take the mayor to court.
Mayor Cy Sun has been at odds with his own city council from the day he took office this year -- the winner of a write-in campaign where he vowed to clean out what he called "corruption" at city hall. Department heads either quit or were fired.
He hasn't replaced them.
"The city is at a standstill," said Pacific City Attorney Kenyon Luce.
Luce and the city council want the judge to intervene and get the mayor moving. If he doesn't, Luce says the judge has the power to fine the mayor or even throw him in jail -- something he recently experienced after trying to cross an evidence line put up by his own police department to protect the city clerk's office.
Sun was locked up only a couple of hours, but it showed just how divided this city government is. Sun even had to hire his own private attorney.
Sun claims he's tried to hire department heads, but the city council has blocked his efforts. The city council says the mayor isn't bringing qualified people forward.
"Mayor Sun, it's not for me to tell you how to do your job. I don't intend to, but you do have to do it," said Pierce County Superior Court Judge Ronald Culpepper. "The citizens of Pacific need you to get on this, and of course you also need the city council to cooperate."
The judge wants a progress report from the mayor in 30 days. However, late Monday the mayor posted the positions for community services director, city clerk, city engineer, finance director and community development/public works director.
The mayor's attorney said that shows the mayor is "on it" and the process is moving forward. The city council members say they'll believe when they see it..
Meanwhile, Sun will be in a Seattle court Wednesday as the recall effort against the mayor tries to get a judge's permission to move ahead.
Late Monday night, the mayor posted fliers inside City Hall to fill the vacancies that have practically brought city government to a halt here. That's why the city council said it had no choice but to take the mayor to court.
Mayor Cy Sun has been at odds with his own city council from the day he took office this year -- the winner of a write-in campaign where he vowed to clean out what he called "corruption" at city hall. Department heads either quit or were fired.
He hasn't replaced them.
"The city is at a standstill," said Pacific City Attorney Kenyon Luce.
Luce and the city council want the judge to intervene and get the mayor moving. If he doesn't, Luce says the judge has the power to fine the mayor or even throw him in jail -- something he recently experienced after trying to cross an evidence line put up by his own police department to protect the city clerk's office.
Sun was locked up only a couple of hours, but it showed just how divided this city government is. Sun even had to hire his own private attorney.
Sun claims he's tried to hire department heads, but the city council has blocked his efforts. The city council says the mayor isn't bringing qualified people forward.
"Mayor Sun, it's not for me to tell you how to do your job. I don't intend to, but you do have to do it," said Pierce County Superior Court Judge Ronald Culpepper. "The citizens of Pacific need you to get on this, and of course you also need the city council to cooperate."
The judge wants a progress report from the mayor in 30 days. However, late Monday the mayor posted the positions for community services director, city clerk, city engineer, finance director and community development/public works director.
The mayor's attorney said that shows the mayor is "on it" and the process is moving forward. The city council members say they'll believe when they see it..
Meanwhile, Sun will be in a Seattle court Wednesday as the recall effort against the mayor tries to get a judge's permission to move ahead.
Is the Professor at Seattle University School of Law full of crap about the Van Siclen Boys?
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I want to extend my personal thank you to all the citizens and business owners who have graciously (and it's allowed) gone down and/or mailed donations (big and small) to Van Siclen, Stocks, and Firkins at 721 45th Street Northeast  Auburn, WA 98002.towards the account of Mayor Cy Sun to keep up the good fight.
How biased can KOMO be? Kiro airs the story today that the recall weirdo's didn't get their way and there's nothing on this site. The Superior court Judge declared she had to have time to read all the documents to DECIDE if any recall could move forward. Pages and pages of accusations do not mean you JUST get a recall. The laws in WA have changed and you don't just get to recall because a bunch of bullies are in a power struggle. But, no report on the Superior Court's decision here, just the old crap with the wrong picture. When mayor gets a win there's no interest on KOMO's part, yet they're quick to inflame any and all ridiculous accusations.
As for the cop (who's going to another job) stay the hell of the Mayor's property. Warning you set off the alarms skulking about. Trying to plant something before you leave to dump on the mayor. Be warned, the premises are now video as well as alarmed. As for the DQ princess approaching the mayor and his wife saying it's not personal you now exactly where you can shove your BS. If you speak to them again, you will find yourself on the losing end of an anti harrasment order. You don't live here DQ woman, you can't even sign a petition if it ever gets there. Today you and your skank buddies found out all is not what it seems. Even the peirce co judge told the mayor he wouldn't tell mayor how to do his job and crossed out item after item in that ridiculous mandate and the judge also, on record, commented it all seems like a power struggle. Luce enjoy it while you can because you were fired and the council did their illegal resolution after the 30 days so get ready to get your butt kicked. Why don't you, Luce, have you son be a man and get his own experience without you trying to get it for him? You are not an example of an honorable or competent attorney. Things are not always as they seem. But, you all think or thought you had it in the bag. The next hearing is continued and Luce (temporarily the city attorney) tried to get the Superior court King judge to make mayor agree to not appeal. Are you nuts luce. Even the judge told you she couldn't do that. Attempting blackmail way out there Luce. The department of justice will be all over this. Count on it. For all those naysayers I haven't been wrong yet. Make sure council you can prove you confirm appointments. Wouldn't want the judge to know your blocking the mayor to set him up. Or are you stupid enough to think the resume's of those you refuse to confirm won't be provided to the judge? Putnam you really think your personal biased affidavit means squat?
@711 Cares I'm not surprised Putnam put in a declaration AGAINST the Mayor, at the same time he comes on these sites and hits the LIKE tab for anyone bashing the mayor, while claiming he is politically neutural and while rolling his eyes every time the Mayor speaks at a meeting. The nicest thing I can say about Putnam is that he can multi-task.   Thanks 711 for keeping us informed. I am so sick of the DQ Princess cramming her beliefs down our throats. I had the recall people come to our yard once, and after my husband told them that he totally supported Mayor Sun and told them about his experience driving by the so-called protestors, they scurried away.  And as for Attorney Luce, I have some dirt on him from way back when that would totally embarrass him. Instead of sharing that, however, I will trust that Luce will eventually show his true colors that everyone will see.
I hope when the 30-day report is required by the court, if no progress is shown then the city council will have to show why they aren't working WITH the mayor to correct the situation. This is a multi-sided crappy place for the citizens to be stuck in.
You know the song from the movie Deliverance? Every time I read more news about this place, that Banjo starts in my head....
This is only a taste of what Mitt Romney's America would be like.
@KOMO_Sapiens 'cause if president Obummer gets his way you'll be living naked,in a tent, because he'll tax you until you have nothing left.
 @Randy Miller  @KOMO_Sapiens Straight out of the Koch brothers and Karl Rove playbook. They love you guys repeating their bs so they can rob this country blind.
 @grmpyOlFrt  @Randy Miller  @KOMO_Sapiens Your property taxes are down because your house isn't worth half what it was 10 years ago, duh. You think that's a good thing? As for taxes in general they are not lower than anytime in the last 50 years. Go to the store and pay your nearly 10% in sales tax will tell you that.
 @Randy Miller  @grmpyOlFrt  @KOMO_Sapiens Acutally taxes are lower than any time in the last 50 years. My income and property taxes are down from what they were 10 years ago.
@grmpyOlFrt @KOMO_Sapiens One thing you don't find with conservatives, we think for oursleves. My taxes have gone up. I don't need anyone to point it out. I certainly owe China $100,000 and so do you. You can drink from the Obummer kool-aid but those are the facts. (Just so ya know Bush started it with his borrowing so I don't blame Obummer %100, but trillions?? and don't get me started on his Czars. hmmm Czars? Isn't that a communist term?)
 @Randy Miller But I still get my free Obamaphone right?Â
Who would even want to go work for this mess? Â Mayor is a freak show - they need to boot him out. Â What an embarrassment for the city!
 @JusticeSeeker Their attempt at booting the mayor out isn't going as planned lol. Justice will see to that.
I live in Pacific, and y'know, I really just want stuff to work. I want my garbage picked up, police that do their job, and I want my water bill to STOP BEING SCREWED UP EVERY MONTH with a clerk who has no idea why.
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I don't give a crap about all of this political drama. I own a home here and have since 2008, and I'd love to just live in a functioning city.
 @CommonCents Good luck with that, seriously. Pacific has always been a dysfunctional pit of a city and it always will be. The only man brave enough to try to clean it up, Mayor Sun, they attempt to burn at the stake. Oh lets not forget the petty smashing of the mayor's mailbox the very day the King County judge ruled to continue the hearing because both the judge herself and the Mayor's attorney need time to wade through the muck of ridiculous allegations. Putman you think your slanderous accusations are proof of anything other than the fact you are a desperate idiot along with the rest of them. Children throwing a tantrum because they are being told by the Mayor to behave and clean up their act. DQ weirdo sell your dirty store and concentrate on whatever town under whatever rock you live under.Â
 @CommonCents Just as nutty as Ocean Shores politics... friggin' absolute nut jobs running things.....
 @Funky-Munky  @CommonCents You have the disgruntled council ei murderer, drunks and a poor loser to thank for that. Not to mention a nobody Tracy Apata DQ dump owner, corrupt police, and the power hungry good old boys to thank for that. They will be exposed. They paid that woman in California to file that frivilous molestation suit and now she's scared to death. She doesn't need to be scared of a huge defamation lawsuit once she gives up who put her up to it. Then she will be fine.
This is craziness! How embarrassing for the city and it's residents. Why haven't they booted him from office yet?Â
 @HallandOates the voters elected Mayor Sun to do just what he is doing. If you believe the BS on the mayor you are part of the problem and part of the reason Pacific has gotten away with being a crazy nut place to live. It's no Mayberry that's for sure.
 @HallandOates Maybe because he was lawfully elected and the opposition is full of BS. Ever think of that. The courts are
@HallandOates They are trying to. The effort apparently is being led by tthe "Dairy Queen Princess". They have a court session scheduled here in the next couple of weeks (If I remember correctly) to see if the judge ok's the start of the recall effort.
He looks like he should be in a nursing home instead of being a mayor.
 @mstipton He's and 82 year old war veteran. What an idiotic thing to say. How pretty do you think you'll look at that age. Got any parents, grandparents? Really you are disgusting to say such a thing. Have you taken a look at Pacific's so called city attorney Luce. He's a fat, old, dumpy looking man who always looks like he just crawled out of bed.
I want to extend my personal thank you to all the citizens and business owners who have graciously (and it's allowed) gone down and/or mailed donations (big and small) to Van Siclen, Stocks, and Firkins at 721 45th Street Northeast  Auburn, WA 98002.towards the account of Mayor Cy Sun to keep up the good fight.
 @711 Cares Just curious--how much corruption was there in Pacific before Mayor Sun got elected by the fed up residents? I could see how a nepotistic city hall would continually hire incompetent friends and family members to run a town, but how bad was the situation that a decorated WW2 veteran would fight the status quo?Â
 @MyTacoma Worse than you could ever imagine. Citizens brutilized by police, a drunk constantly arrested and investigated police chief, a council getting special favors, a convicted murderer on the council Gary Hulsey and 10.9 million missing according to the audit the new mayor had done. That's just the tip of the iceberg.
@MyTacoma @711 Cares I'm not sure how much corruption there was, but I do know there was an issue with the police chief & one of the current members of the city council.
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Here's an article in regards to the chief:Â http://www.komonews.com/news/67007932.html
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Here's an article in regards to the council person:Â http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Community--140677783.html
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I cannot believe KOMO or Keith Eldridge. Using an old picture for this court things. They are so obviously biased. Eldridge was mucking it up with the soon to be out of a job luce in court. And the picture AGAIN of the old man trying to get into an office at city hall the own Sheriff said he had a right to enter. Really? A more appropriate photo for this story should have been the one that ran on tv wherein the judge flat out told the mayor he's not going to tell the mayor how to do his job. Elgridge even made a statement that its soooo bad Mayor got his own attorney. Good Lord, who the heck wouldn't get their own attorney facing this pack of wolves? What a twisted report. Eldgride will stay all night long in Pacific looking for his big break. On the day of Sun's win, Eldridge couldn't get to the front door cause the Mayor had a fence installed with a lock LONG BEFORE HE BECAME MAYOR and Eldridge actually went around the house knocking on doors and windows scaring the crap out of Mrs. Sun who didn't know what to do as her husband was not home. Eldridge is crossing the line. He has sat in the Mayor's driveway for more than two hours eating his lunch. It's not like Mrs. Sun can call the police to get Eldride to leave her property because the police protect who they want and crucify who they don't like. HOWEVER HAVE FAITH. THERE IS MORE TO COME.Â
 @711 Cares "They are so obviously biased." And you are not??Â
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It seems pretty clear that the mayor is not doing the job he was elected to do: run the city. The judge pretty much told Sun that.
 @Veteran The judge told mayor to hire and warned council they would be held accountable for confirming candidates. The judge said it sounded like more of a power struggle than wrongdoing. U weren't there. I have the tape. .If the council continues to block hiring by refusing to confirm the council will be facing court action. Sure they'll claim no candidate mayor brings forth is competent, but that won't fly with a judge because the judge will look into the candidates resume's etc. The mayor can't do his job when the council blocks him at every turn.  I'm biased for justice.
Shut the city down. NO taxes, No fees, No bills, Win, Win, Win!!
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And no one will know the difference...All you need is garbage pickup, streetsweepers, and utilities send the rest home....
The political class in this city has shown time and time again that it doesnt like outsiders meddling in their hobbies. I wish people could see that the city council is not blameless in this mess even while making claims that this is all on the mayor. None of the council members want to imagine being out of jobs come the end of the year so its quite likely that they will approve any one that applies. then Guir will call the president of the city's insurance group and let them know its okay to issue a press release stating that the insurance will remain in place. then the council will issue their own joint release taking credit for saving the city. Since its unlikely that the judge will approve the recall based off the current charges, the council will hope that going forward, the mayor will know his place: a place holder to serve out this term as a lame duck of sorts until the next election when Richard Hildreth can run for his old Mayoral seat or Putnam/Guir wil throw their hats in the ring.
Well, now it's time for those in the town that wanted this to step up and show that they are solution oriented rather than just fed up.
I see the officers are back patrolling the parking lots of BigFoot Java, AM/PM, Algona-Pacific Library, Speciality Forest Products, Accu Duct, etc. Happy the police chief got has job back!
 @Too funny! Ya I recently spoke to the girls that work at Big Foot Java, and while they want to remain nameless they did say they are so SICK of the Pacific police pulling up and instead of just placing their order and leaving the cops think the girls really want to listen to and have a conversation with these bozos. The biggest complaint was about the obsessive flirting. Like two of the girls said "really they actually think any of use would be interested in dating them?" Leave those girls alone. Order your coffee and get back out on patrol.
 @711 Cares  @Too funny!Â
 @711 Cares  @Too funny! 711 cares, are you the mayor of pacific?
 @711 Cares Is the Professor at Seattle University School of Law full of crap too?
The recall weirdos have to report to the PDC all donations to their campaign to recall on a weekly basis and there is a a limit to what an individual or business can contribute. However Mayor Sun isn't inolved in any campaign as no recall has been authorized by any judge. He is just defending himself against nonesense, and can and will contnue to do so, so Anyone can donate any amount they want to the law firm Van Sicle, Stock and Firkins towards Mayor Sun's legal expeses. I personally donated 5 thousand and was happy to do it.
 @711 Cares  @Tigre Silva  @MythAlpha  @Too funny! Is it a campaign finance violation to solicit funds secretly?
 @Tigre Silva  @MythAlpha  @Too funny! You are so full of crap. Why don't you go visit Hildreth. I hear he doesn't have a current affair and swings both ways. You two could bond
 @711 Cares  @Tigre Silva  @MythAlpha  @Too funny! Was he just "being nice and friendly" with the female client he paid off and gag order was signed?
 @Tigre Silva  @MythAlpha  @Too funny! Really? I don't believe John Stocks would give you the time of day, let alone flirt with you. What is it with these ego maniacs that think just because someone is nice and friendly they are being flirted with? Get a grip on reality. Look in the mirror. Have you ever seen John Stocks wife? She is beautiful and graceful and if you think or whomever you BS thinks just because John is a nice guy he's flirting you are insane.
 @MythAlpha  @711 Cares  @Too funny! Probably John Stocks from Van Siclen, Stocks, & Firkins.  John Stocks is one to talk when all he does is flirt with his clients.
 @MythAlpha  @Too funny! If your question is serious the answer is no.Â
I'm so sick of hearing about this po-dunk town. Drama, Drama, Drama....
The City Council has ratified the majority of the Mayor's appointments so far this year, and I certainly expect prompt consideration for any new appointees. The City is up against a hard deadline, insurance runs out on December 31 unless the insurance company is satisfied that there are competent managers in all key city positions.
No need for the fired idiots to apply. They will never get accepted by Mayor for consideraton. It's time for new blood that knows who the boss is. Calkins enjoy it while you can because you will not be staying and neither wil that fat ass diot luce
 @Joshua Putnam Do you not get enough attention in your council meetings? Really you have to be all over this blog? What do you have a degree in rhetoric? You are so full of BS. You don't get it: no matter who your council confirm - if you can even get anyone who would work for the city of Pacific - the city will still lose it's insurance. No carrier is going to want to take on Pacific at anything other than a ridiculous rate with all the hoopla you and the DQ princess have started. No one want's to buy a home in Pacific, no one can sell a home in Pacific, and no one wants to live in a town where two of the council members Guire and Stieger are alchoholics, another is a convicted murderer Hulsey and the rest . . . are currently being investigated and their family's are being contacted. You could have had a good Thanksgiving, but someone (an idiot) had to open their mouths about contacting the Mayor's children accomplishing nothing more than making him furious at the personal intrusion and manipulation. The chief is a drunk crook, bully with Massey as his buddy/puppet.. Although Cuire claims she doesn't drink after nearly losing custody of her kid. Everyone knows about all the so called get togethers at the Milton Wok where the idiots are too stupid to know their conversations are being taped.,
 @Joshua Putnam I hope the City is annexed and you loose your job as council person.  Mr. 'roll your eyes' Putnam is the largest City Council problem.
 @OttoMobile  @Joshua Putnam It's not a job. Putnam get's $200 a month. It's a glory hound position where you get special favors. Like remodeling your house for 6 years on the SAME building permit, never a ticket, not even when he's riding his bicycle lol
 @OttoMobile  @Joshua PutnamÂ
Maybe his job already is loose.Â