Judge dismisses suit against city council

WALLA WALLA – Walla Walla County Superior Court Judge Scott Wolfram ruled Tuesday that the Walla Walla City Council did not violate Washington’s Open Public Meetings Act during a special meeting and executive session held November 18, 2022.

The purpose of the special meeting and executive session was to evaluate the qualifications of applicants and select five finalists for the city manager position. Arthur West, an open-government advocate from Olympia, filed a civil lawsuit against all seven city council members Tom Scribner, Steve Moss, Brian Casey, Rick Eskil, Ted Koehler, Susan Nakonieczny, and Gustavo Renya.

West alleged council members twice knowingly conducted unlawful meetings and repeatedly acted outside of property scheduled and notice open public meetings or executive sessions. The first time was during tattoo policy discussions in 2021 and the second time was during the hiring process of the city manager in 2022.

Regarding West’s complaint pertaining to the tattoo policy discussions in 2021, Wolfram rendered West’s request for injunctive relief moot as the city council remedied OPMA defects by receiving additional training.

Wolfram also denied West’s motion for summary judgment regarding last year’s hiring process of the city manager. His ruling came down in favor of the council members. The council members’ motion to dismiss the civil suit was granted. Furthermore, the entitled action was dismissed with prejudice, meaning the case cannot be refiled.

Wolfram also ruled that the council members are awarded their court costs.

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Elkhorn Media Group

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