Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Governance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Tenino council confronts letter-to-editor accusing mayor of "dysfunction"; council asks for evidence
Summary
A letter to the Centralia Chronicle by Councilman Lawton accused Mayor Dave Watterson of poor leadership. Lawton declined to present evidence at the Dec. 9 meeting; other council members urged him to bring any supporting information to the council rather than only to the newspaper.
A public dispute over a letter published in the Centralia Chronicle dominated a portion of the Tenino City Council's Dec. 9 meeting.
Councilmember Jeff (speaker 9) read excerpts of a letter submitted by Councilman Lawton to the Chronicle that sharply criticized Mayor Dave Watterson's performance, saying the city was experiencing "dysfunction, lack of transparency, poor process, disrespect, and lack of leadership." Jeff said those were serious statements that, if true, should be presented to the council and the public for review.
Councilman Lawton (speaker 8), when given the opportunity to respond, said he stood by his letter but repeatedly refused to deliver additional evidence to the council at that time. "Jeff, I'm not gonna get up here 5 weeks later and answer to your BS. You've had 5 weeks to talk about this, and it's very noble of you to get up here...but I stand by that letter," Lawton said on the record.
Other council members pressed Lawton for specifics and urged that, under state law and council practice, allegations about an elected official's performance should be brought to the council so the body can consider oversight or policy remedies. One council member warned about potential libel risk if public accusations are not supported by factual evidence.
No formal action was taken. The mayor described the item as "discussion only" and the council moved on after the exchange. Several council members recommended the matter be addressed as part of policy review in January rather than resolved at the Dec. 9 meeting.
Next steps: Councilmembers asked Lawton to present supporting information to the council (or to raise concerns during the January meeting) so the body can consider next steps; Lawton declined to provide additional evidence during the Dec. 9 session.
