Spokane Washington: Activists can collect signatures for recall

[govegan]

SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER NEWS SERVICES

"SPOKANE -- A recall petition against Mayor James West over a homosexual sex scandal can proceed to the signature-gathering phase, a visiting judge ruled yesterday.
..............
Sullivan, an unemployed florist and novice political activist who argued the misfeasance charges without a lawyer, now must collect more than 12,600 signatures in six months to put the recall on the ballot."

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/228413_recall14.html

From elsewhere:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002266631_west07m.html


"A lifelong Republican and former state Senate majority leader, West was best known in Olympia as a fiscal conservative. He rarely led on social issues.

Still, he opposed extending protected-class status to gays during his two decades in the state Legislature, and last week threatened to veto a city ordinance giving benefits to the gay partners of city employees."

"argued the misfeasance charges without a lawyer..." Got to hand it to this unemployed florist.

[montanacowboy]

1. Great News!

[Pinboy]

2. "Run, Florist, Run!!!" n/t

[politicaholic]

3. Is there any evidence against the mayor?

Don't get me wrong, this jerk can (and should) fall off the face of the earth for all I care, but I mean, how do we know it's not a smear campaign? Has he done anything illegal?

[Tempest]

4. He offered city jobs to men who would have sex with him

Offering jobs for personal favors is illegal.

I also believe he sexually harassed an employee at city hall.

[Diane R]

5. Yes...there is evidence

Yes. The charge against the mayor is that he uses his public office to entice young men for sex.

There is a young man who he met on a gay.com who he appointed to the Human Rights Commission. The young man (Nineteen years old; a bit old for the mayor), resigned after being sexually harassed. The mayor asked him...in a chat transcript the young man kept....to swim in the nude with him for $300.

In addition, there is another very young man (18 or 19) who met the mayor online, had dinner with him, and was enticed with trappings of the mayor's office.

In addition, our local newspaper hired an expert to pose as a young man. He 'met' the mayor online, and the mayor offered him a city hall internship....all without meeting the mayor.

[politicaholic]

6. Thanks! He sounds like the Clarence Thomas of gay men.

:eyes: