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Commissioners move to place Marshall Sleight coroner appointment on agenda after public support and internal debate
Summary
After public comment and a split exchange among commissioners, the board moved to place a resolution appointing Marshall Sleight as county coroner on the next day's consent agenda; one commissioner said he would vote in opposition and earlier indicated he would honor PCOs' recommendation for a different candidate.
Yakima County commissioners on Monday debated candidates for an interim coroner appointment and voted to place a resolution to appoint Marshall Sleight on the board's regular agenda for final action the next day.
Commissioner Lindy moved to appoint Marshall Sleight and a motion to place a resolution on the following day's agenda was seconded and carried 2‑1, with Commissioner Curtis saying he would vote in opposition and noting he intended to honor the recommendation of the PCOs for Dan Williams.
Commissioner Lindy said she had spoken with law‑enforcement officials, funeral‑home directors and hospital staff and described a strong consensus of support for Sleight. "They appreciate his work ethic. They appreciate his integrity," Lindy said, adding that Sleight had worked long hours under difficult circumstances.
Commissioner McKinney said community members also contacted her in support of Sleight and offered similar praise. Commissioner Curtis said he also praised Sleight’s work but said he would honor the PCOs' recommendation of Dan Williams and thus opposed moving forward with Sleight's appointment.
Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds, who said he has performed most of the county's forensic autopsies for 38 years, addressed the board during public comment and said of the acting coroner, "Marshall Slides is the best guy I ever worked with. Period. Paragraph." The board accepted that public comment into the record before taking the procedural vote to place the resolution on the next day's agenda.
Julie Lawrence, Clerk of the Board, confirmed staff would add the item to the next morning's regular agenda and recommended placing it on the consent agenda after the board's discussion. Commissioners agreed to place the resolution on the consent agenda for the following day's meeting; a final appointment would be made by formal vote at that meeting.
Why it matters: The appointment would fill the county coroner role on an interim basis; commissioners cited input from law enforcement, funeral directors, hospital staff and the county's forensic pathologist while also noting the PCOs' separate recommendation for another candidate.
