By Pepper Fisher
PORT ANGELES – Wednesday, July 17 is the day that Clallam County Superior Court Judge Lauren Erickson is expected to decide whether a Sequim man’s charges have sufficient merit to proceed with his attempted recall of 4 Port Angeles City Council members.
John Worthington 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 organization 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.
The organization describes itself as a global network of local and regional governments committed to sustainable urban development.
In June, Clallam County Prosecutor Mark Nichols told KONP that he fulfilled his duties in the case by officially filing a synopsis of Worthington’s claims with the Court, and it will now be up to a Judge to determine if the charges satisfy the conditions for which a recall petition can be filed.
On Monday, Worthington sent KONP a copy of a letter he received from the attorney representing the 4 council members, offering Worthington one last chance to dismiss the petitions and avoid potentially paying tens of thousands of dollars in court fees if the council members prevail in court. The attorney believes Worthington’s petitions are invalid because he is not a registered voter in Port Angeles.
Worthington’s response to the attorney was, in part, “I will not drop the recall petitions and I will go all the way to the Supreme Court standing on my head. I suggest you prepare for the hearing and answer some of my legal arguments and address my exhibits because I have prepared the record in this case for an appeal. I suggest you use your time wisely.
Thanks. John Worthington.”