By Pepper Fisher
PORT ANGELES – A resident of Sequim has filed a petition to recall 4 Port Angeles City Councilmembers, claiming that when the council joined an international organization that promotes sustainable development policies, they gave up their US citizenship, and don’t qualify to be on the city council.
John Worthington of Sequim has filed official charges with the Clallam County Prosecutor’s Office that contends that Mayor Kate Dexter, along with Councilors Lindsey Schromen-Wawrin, LaTrisha Suggs and Navarra Carr, are not qualified to hold office because joining the ICLEI creates a conflict of interest to their oaths of office to the US Constitution, the Washington state Constitution, and the City of Port Angeles.
Regardless of the merits of Worthington’s complaint, we asked County Prosecutor Mark Nichols the question: Can a person in one city legally recall City Councilors in another city? Nichols said determining that is not his job. He says his duties require him to draft a synopsis of 200 words or less of Worthington’s charges in support of the recall, and to certify those charges and the synopsis to the Superior Court. After that, it will be up to a Superior Court judge to determine the sufficiency of the charges.
In the meantime, everyone named in the petition is required to “lawyer up” to defend themselves in court. To that end, the Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to have the City pay their attorney’s fees. Each of the 4 councilors had to leave council chambers, one at a time, while their colleagues voted on that motion.
Worthington, in an email to KONP, says his petition simply asks, “Can the Port Angeles City Council members “build and serve” an “International Sphere of Government” and the City of Port Angeles and American government at the same time?” Councilor Schromen-Wawrin publicly read a portion of the complaint, defended the move to have any attorney’s fees paid by the City and added these comments.
“They have voluntarily given up American nationality, and is it all over eligible for public office.” So, if that didn’t make sense, that’s because it doesn’t make sense. And this is all work that we’ve done within the scope of our job as the city to protect and serve the health safety and Welfare of the people of Port Angeles. And it’s appropriate when it’s because of issues that we do in service of the people that the city protects its representatives in those moments. So, I support this motion. I’ll just add, this whole, us leaving a room and having to go through this, this is the charade that happens when the Democratic process is attacked by right-wing wackadoodles, and that’s what’s happening here.”