Political infighting heats up in small Wash. town
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PACIFIC, Wash. -- The ongoing political infighting in Pacific took a turn for the worse on Monday when the city clerk was forced to call the police after being locked out of her own office.
The trouble in Pacific is nothing new, but tensions between Mayor Cy Sun and other city leaders are heating up. The City Council has already taken a "no confidence" vote against Sun after two department heads were fired and three more quit.
On Monday, the one remaining department head, City Clerk Jane Montgomery, said she's finally had enough.
Montgomery said she arrived for work Monday morning and found a Master Lock on the outside of her office. She believes Sun installed the new lock over the weekend in retaliation for her blowing the whistle on what she says is wrongdoing at city hall.
"There has been a climate of fear that has been created by the current mayor and people are afraid for their jobs," Montgomery said.
Much of the controversy stems from Sun hiring former mayor Howard Erickson to work in the city's building department signing off on important inspections. It's a job Montgomery and the city council believe he is unqualified for and they worry he could put the city at risk.
Police were able to break the lock and allow Montgomery back into her office, but the operation left a hole in the door. It's yet another scar in an ongoing battle between city leaders, and one where taxpayers may lose out in the end.
"Taxpayers are getting no production for their dollars right now. That's basically what's happening right now," said Councilman Clint Steiger.
Like Steiger, Montgomery believes Pacific residents deserve better.
"They deserve to be properly represented and I don't feel like that's being done," she said. "I care about that. I would like for that to be corrected."
Sun didn't respond to multiple calls for comment on this story, and he didn't attend a scheduled meeting with the Washington Department of Transportation on Monday.
Former mayor Erickson did comment, and he insists he's qualified for his current job.
Residents showed up in droves to a Monday night city council meeting. They hoped to get answers from Sun about what's going on in the city, but the mayor didn't attend the meeting.
The trouble in Pacific is nothing new, but tensions between Mayor Cy Sun and other city leaders are heating up. The City Council has already taken a "no confidence" vote against Sun after two department heads were fired and three more quit.
On Monday, the one remaining department head, City Clerk Jane Montgomery, said she's finally had enough.
Montgomery said she arrived for work Monday morning and found a Master Lock on the outside of her office. She believes Sun installed the new lock over the weekend in retaliation for her blowing the whistle on what she says is wrongdoing at city hall.
"There has been a climate of fear that has been created by the current mayor and people are afraid for their jobs," Montgomery said.
Much of the controversy stems from Sun hiring former mayor Howard Erickson to work in the city's building department signing off on important inspections. It's a job Montgomery and the city council believe he is unqualified for and they worry he could put the city at risk.
Police were able to break the lock and allow Montgomery back into her office, but the operation left a hole in the door. It's yet another scar in an ongoing battle between city leaders, and one where taxpayers may lose out in the end.
"Taxpayers are getting no production for their dollars right now. That's basically what's happening right now," said Councilman Clint Steiger.
Like Steiger, Montgomery believes Pacific residents deserve better.
"They deserve to be properly represented and I don't feel like that's being done," she said. "I care about that. I would like for that to be corrected."
Sun didn't respond to multiple calls for comment on this story, and he didn't attend a scheduled meeting with the Washington Department of Transportation on Monday.
Former mayor Erickson did comment, and he insists he's qualified for his current job.
Residents showed up in droves to a Monday night city council meeting. They hoped to get answers from Sun about what's going on in the city, but the mayor didn't attend the meeting.
http://www.kval.com/news/local/Convicted-of-murder-in-1979-elected-to-City-Council-in-2007-140801093.html
http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/dailyweekly/2012/01/cy_sun_mayor_of_pacific_who_wo.php
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Here are some facts that are more current: Pacific Public Safety Director John Calkins was charged with drunk driving and intimidating the arresting officer; he testified in court that he doesnât drink beer, while I have seen a photograph of him doing just that; he is accused in a deposition of requiring employees to view porn; he also failed a polygraph examination on whether he threatened an individual with a hand gun, and he was investigated for tampering with a witness. He proposed writing more speeding tickets not for public safety, but to raise revenue. His department practiced racial profiling. When a house burned to the ground on his watch, he bellowed at a city council member for asking why. When I published the claim that he was related to then-Mayor Howard Erickson, he bellowed at me in a city council meeting, denying the allegation. But according to the people who disclosed the relationship, it was Mr. Erickson who made them aware of it. No-one ever hauled him up short for this and other rude behavior until Mr. Sun put him on administrative leave for bellowing at the cityâs treasurer about a month ago. By the way, Mr. Calkins testified in court under oath that he canât raise his voice, so he couldnât have yelled at the arresting officer at his DUI stop. Or at me, either. I must have imagined it.