More drama in town of Pacific as city clerk, cops fired
PACIFIC, Wash. - Weeks after being locked out of her own office, the city clerk for the town of Pacific is now out of a job, and on Thursday she fired back with a $2 million claim against the city.
City Clerk Jane Montgomery was given a letter of termination earlier this week. She was supposed to meet with Mayor Cy Sun on Thursday morning to learn why she was fired, but Sun slipped out a side door just as Montgomery arrived at city hall.
"I came in good faith and as you saw, the mayor left with no explanation," Montgomery said.
Back in June, Montgomery showed up to work at City Hall - only to find her office padlocked.
Last week, Mayor Cy Sun was arrested for trying to get into that office amid allegations he destroyed city records.
The mayor claims Montgomery is responsible for his arrest by locking the office and leaving the keys with police. He put together a list of eight reasons why she was let go.
The four police officers involved in the mayor's arrest have also been fired - by the mayor himself.
In a July 23 memo to one of the fired officers, Sun lists several reasons the officer was discharged. Among them, Sun accuses the officer of "gross insubordination" and "unlawful anarchy and mutiny against the City of Pacific."
Montgomery said the entire mess has been hard on her.
"What it's done to the city is even more tragic, because the city is being completely destroyed from within," she said.
The City Attorney says under civil service rules, only a department head can fire a police officer - but there's currently no police chief in Pacific, since he was also fired by the mayor.
One of the police officers will have a pre-termination meeting with the mayor on Friday.
So far, Cy Sun has not been charged with a crime in connection with his attempted entry into the city clerk's office
When reached by phone on Wednesday, Mayor Sun would not comment on the terminations.
He earlier fired the town's police chief and other city officials.
Sun was elected to the mayor's office on a write-in vote, promising to clean up corruption in the town that straddles the King-Pierce county line.
City Clerk Jane Montgomery was given a letter of termination earlier this week. She was supposed to meet with Mayor Cy Sun on Thursday morning to learn why she was fired, but Sun slipped out a side door just as Montgomery arrived at city hall.
"I came in good faith and as you saw, the mayor left with no explanation," Montgomery said.
Back in June, Montgomery showed up to work at City Hall - only to find her office padlocked.
Last week, Mayor Cy Sun was arrested for trying to get into that office amid allegations he destroyed city records.
The mayor claims Montgomery is responsible for his arrest by locking the office and leaving the keys with police. He put together a list of eight reasons why she was let go.
The four police officers involved in the mayor's arrest have also been fired - by the mayor himself.
In a July 23 memo to one of the fired officers, Sun lists several reasons the officer was discharged. Among them, Sun accuses the officer of "gross insubordination" and "unlawful anarchy and mutiny against the City of Pacific."
Montgomery said the entire mess has been hard on her.
"What it's done to the city is even more tragic, because the city is being completely destroyed from within," she said.
The City Attorney says under civil service rules, only a department head can fire a police officer - but there's currently no police chief in Pacific, since he was also fired by the mayor.
One of the police officers will have a pre-termination meeting with the mayor on Friday.
So far, Cy Sun has not been charged with a crime in connection with his attempted entry into the city clerk's office
When reached by phone on Wednesday, Mayor Sun would not comment on the terminations.
He earlier fired the town's police chief and other city officials.
Sun was elected to the mayor's office on a write-in vote, promising to clean up corruption in the town that straddles the King-Pierce county line.
Wow this guy is abusing his power. He just mad that he got caught and now hes trying to prove he can do what ever. someone needs to strip him from being mayor.
This isn't a mayor, this is a wacko that has no clue. Pacific will stop functioning as a city very soon as its insurance is cancelled. This isn't funny... isn't "justice" isn't in the public interest. Be careful what you wish for, it might mean your undoing.
Well, I'm shoving off now. But, I will say that visiting this thread was great therapy. I'm a fairly new Washington resident, moving to Vader last month. And since I've been here, I've heard lots of people complain about corruption in city government, Lewis County government, etc., etc. But the complaints I've read here about Pacific and its leadership dilemma really take the cake. Whatever problems exist in Vader seem like peanuts by comparison.
Â
Here's wishing you all good luck in sorting them out.
@ ScaredinPacific- - The story you state is full of lies. The van you wrote about was driven by Erickson. Erickson yelled out his window to the protesters to "Go home.... You don't live here" The remark that was stated back to him was "I live here"! In some of your posts to this blog you state you do not like rumors and the people who start them. However you are doing the very thing that you say you dislike. My evidence is..... your lies - Lie #1 Nasty swear words? That did not happen. Lie #2 continuing to swear at him while you drove around him. That did not happen. Lie #3 Protesters circling the van. That did not happen. Please don't asume you know what was happening this morning in Pacific. The people who were walking the sidewalk in Pacific this morning were very respectful to everyone. I know, I was there, watching the entire morning. News crews arrived around 8:00am and were very visable the entire morning. I left at 12:00pm. It was a quiet statement from the people who were picketing, that they support the City of Pacific police department. Just saying....
This comment has been deleted
 @iceberg Erickson being mayor worked out quite well as YOU are not living in a town with a 500 bed 15 acre INS prison are you?
@Really? I actually know who was driving the van, but I choose not to say for their privacy. And I have since talked to this person.  I saw this person pull out of my neighborhood, which is right around the corner from City Hall. This person is my neighbor, and it is not Erickson. I did not see or hear Erickson yell anything, so we are taking about two different incidents.  I know what I saw and heard, and who it was directed at, and it was not Erickson. I wouldn't know Erickson even if I saw him.
This comment has been deleted
@iceberg Wow - way to prove to the world that the opposition to the Mayor is not angry and would not say anything derrogatory.
@ScaredinPacific - nice try
 @iceberg Paranoid AND a racist. ICEBUG you are a gem.
@iceberg Are you talking about me? If you are, I'm a she and I don't work at City Hall. Live near there though.
Before I post this, please understand that I believe in the right to picket and express one's opinion and belief by picketing. However, I was driving past City Hall this morning while the Recall picketers were there, and I observed something unsettling to me. The van in front of me pulled a little to the right and the driver said through his open passenger window that he still supports the Mayor. A mass of picketers started shouting at him and calling some nasty swear words (rhyming with glasshole and sucker) and even approached his van and started circling it. I went around the van, and could hear picketers swearing so bad at this man. Mind you, some picketers were there with their children (some looked as young as 10 or 11). The words coming out of their mouths in front of their own children disgusted me. I'm not taking sides . . . I'm just saying, if the picketers attack someone whose opinion is different than theirs, then they are doing the very same bullying that they accuse the Mayor of and, in my opinion, it detracts from their effort to recall the Mayor. Just saying . . . .
@ScaredinPacific - if that is true, why didn't the numerous media crews catch it on camera? That would be big story don't you think? nice try.
 @goodwins  @ScaredinPacific Media doesn't catch everything. So run a test dude. Drive by and yell out picketers go home and watch as they swarm you with their vulgarities. Better bring pepper spray
 @711 Cares i thought you said the driver pulled to the side, rolled down their window and "said", not  they support cy sun? I don't see anything about yelling "go home" in your "story". But now your telling me to yell at the picketers to go home to test your little theory? Keep your story straight buddy.Â
@goodwins I don't recall seeing a news crew there at that time; maybe showed up before or after I drove through. Plenty of other cars though. And what I'm saying is true. I knew I would get some non-believers or nay sayers about that post, but I just don't want valid picketing to become bullying. That's all. Stay on track, picketers and don't become what you're picketing about.Â
what time did this "alleged" bad behavior happen at then?
Â
I'm fairly new to Washington state and just curious. The mayor does sound like a space case. However, he was voted into office as a write-in candidate by citizens who were unhappy about "something." Has KOMO done any investigation as to what that "something" was ... and whether or not citizen concerns were valid? If a problem exists and someone is voted into office to fix that problem, only to be booted out by the same people who put him into that office, then the original problem still exists ... right? I see a Chapter 12 bankruptcy coming in Pacific's future and it sounds like there's more than enough "stupid" to go around (voters included).
@Chronicler From the previous articles, one of the issues was the city's police cheif abused his power & the previous mayor didn't see anything wrong with it.  If you do a search on here, you can find the other articles that discuss the issue with the chief. The current mayor ran as a write in & recieved around 40% of the vote, which was higher then the other 2 that were running recieved (1, which was the previous mayor)
This comment has been deleted
 @iceberg Wow haven't posted lately. Nice to know I am so memorable to you. Trying to incite me there icebug?
http://recallcy.blogspot.com/2012/07/decimating-pacific-police-force.html Time for recall. Please take a look at this link and help send Cy back to Oregon to graze on his abandoned farm.
This comment has been deleted
 @iceberg You have to be that delusional smith
HAs anyone ever articulated the issues of corruption? There is the credit card issue with the former mayor. One issue. The solution underway is like someone trying to kill a fly in a glasswares factory. After half of the inventory has been destroyed with a hammer. Someone says, "I got the fly."Â
Is there anyone that can itemize what the corruption was in City Hall? The mayor has stated that it is all gone now. What was it?
Seems the city clerk has created unnecessary incitement. Yes, she should be fired. Police are to take orders from the Mayor, not an overzealous city clerk. Gotta see past the partialism of the media...
This comment has been deleted
 @iceberg  @Shadow Doubt wow ICEBUG you're responses are so mature. What are you 10?
What a joke.. Â
Â
I can see what's coming. Â The Sheriff's Office is going to step in and just take the department over. Â And the state will get involved and shut down city government. Â This guy is a nut case. Â Unless.. it's all just some ol conspiracy against this guy..
Â
I love that the clerk filed a 2.2 million dollar claim against the city now.  And just wait, it's not over.  Firing the Officers?  Good luck with that.  They're going to be hit with a wrongful termination lawsuit, by both Police Officers, and they'll win, hands down.  The Officers has orders, and legal right, and the Mayor obstructed that.  I don't care if he's the Mayor or not, it makes no difference.  The fact is, this guy is going to run that government straight into the ground.  They can't function like this
The officers DO NOT TAKE ORDERS FROM A CITY CLERK OR A CITY ATTORNEY. THEY TAKE ORDERS FROM THE MAYOR. WELL THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO. What do you think would happen at your job if you started taking orders from someone other than your boss and basically told your boss you weren't taking orders from him/her?
This comment has been deleted
 @iceberg Bite me old woman
This comment has been deleted
 @iceberg ICEBUG YOU ARE A RACIST PIG. I didn't believe any conflict had anything to do with RACE but you have made it clear that's the underlining theme.
 @711 Cares You can type in caps all you like.... This mayor is in way over his head. This is what you people get for putting control of government in the hands of crazy tea baggers. What's more, the fact that some "neighborhood" like Pacific is a "city" is ridiculous. Annex it to Aurburn... get it under some reasonable leadership and end this circus of stupidity.
 @TruthinAdverts YOU PEOPLE as in your refer to those of us - the majority - that voted Sun in. .  . just in case you got confused.
 @TruthinAdverts  @711 Cares Right on the money there truthinadverts I CAN type in caps if I like. You people are the majority. Yes, we put Sun in there to clean house. Obviously, you didn't think we the voters meant ii. What a dirty house it is. You are obsessed with tea baggers. I like tea, don't you? WE AGREE let us become Auburn. Isn't it nice to be on the SAME PAGE?
Here we go again, come on, either a recall or resign, either way, life for Pacific residents will feel safer either way....So sorry for the city clerk and the 4 police officers, not to mention all the residents that are feeling a lack of community now.....
This comment has been deleted
 @iceberg Your blatant ignorance is showing. Cops are to take orders from the mayor and mayor only. That is state law and is pretty much the way every other sensible community in the state is ran.Two, Washington is an at-will state. Wrongful termination? My ass. Those cops and the city clerk have not a chance.
Â
Three. That clerk and those cops abused their power. Which in every sensible community would result in severe backlash and firings.Â
 @iceberg  @StevenRosenow ICEBUG/RACIST or should I call you SMITH HULSEY STIEGER OR JUST COUNCILMAN
They won't get a recall and NO WAY will they get a resignation. The Sun voters are getting what we wanted either get the house clean or let it fall so another city can take over and we won't be so small we constantly have to deal with small town politics which include harrasment if you don't agree with the good old boy council and their meeting packers. Way to go Sun.
This comment has been deleted
 @iceberg AGAIN ICEBUG IS A RACIST PIG. NOW LET US KNOW WHO YOU ARE SO WE CAN SHOW YOU JUSTICE.
 @711 Cares Are you in bed with this guy or what?  He'll lose, I promise you that.  You can't go wrongfully terminating people, period.  The Clerk will win the lawsuit, the Police Officers will probably file a wrongful termination lawsuit, and win too.  But.. most of these people just may say to hell with it, they don't need this crap.  The city doesn't need this crap, neither do the citizens.  Except you, who can't seem to get enough of him.  He's a cruddy leader, period. Exclamation point.Â
 @pnwstguy  @whoareyou  @yabuddy Good luck with that recall effort by the dairy queen princess. YOU WILL NEED IT.
@iceberg @yabuddy The cops are volunteering right now. At this point they have no authority to do their jobs because they have been terminated. In fact, if any of those cops gave me a ticket I would fight it on those grounds and probably win. There is no law that Sun is being accused of breaking. The city attorney and the city clerk do not have an ounce of authority to order the cops to do anything. Only Sun has that authority!
@whoareyou @yabuddy Recall is under way. It takes time and process. People are moving as past as possible. http://recallcy.blogspot.com/2012/07/decimating-pacific-police-force.html
 @TruthinAdverts Tea party tea party tea party tea party tea party on and on and on and on lol. A little obsessive there truthinavderts. You compensating for your little tea party issues via this forum?
 @yabuddy boy... you kicked the tea party ant hill didn't you = )
 @yabuddy Cruddy leader???? Maybe. Name ONE good one????? I'm waiting...... Our so-called leaders are a joke. they have done nothing but put us into massive debt--are you really that naive???
 @yabuddy If he is so cruddy then why are they not recalling him? Also, the clerk will lose, she is an "at will" employee. The cops might get their jobs back, but they are in for an uphill fight. You can't arrest your own boss without cause! They had no right to keep the mayor out of city offices. They had no cheif, which means the mayor is their boss. They should have stayed out of it.
yabuddy you do know you can just type the exclamation point. It's right there same key as the number 1.
He was voted in and promised to clean up all of the corruption in the city. Where are the allegations of what corruption from the mayor? He is making himself out to be the corrupted one and sounds like a real piece of work! He is firing people left and right for what seems like they are trying to do their job. It is absolutely unacceptable that he is firing police for protecting their own facilities. I hope those police officers and the city clerk sues the crap out of them. Where is the outside help to take over and correct this embarassing situation for the people of Pacific?
 @Comeonnow Cops protecting their own facilities. I believe the cops have a toilet over at the station.
comeonnow you posted this exact same post on the other forum. Cut and paste much?
He was voted in and promised to clean up all of the corruption in the city. Where are the allegations of what corruption from the mayor? He is making himself out to be the corrupted one and sounds like a real piece of work! He is firing people left and right for what seems like they are trying to do their job. It is absolutely unacceptable that he is firing police for protecting their own facilities. I hope those police officers and the city clerk sues the crap out of them. Where is the outside help to take over and correct this embarassing situation for the people of Pacific?Â
Cut and paste again courtesy of comeonnow. Original posts ARE accepted.