Resident accuses county attorneys and staff of "arbitrary and capricious" actions in property dispute

Chester Cullen used public comment to accuse county staff and county attorneys of providing false information to the Board of Commissioners in a property and access dispute. Cullen named two county attorneys and said actions around a public-access decision and a subsequent resolution were "arbitrary and capricious," alleging the Hutchinsons were improperly advantaged and that the county did not protect neighboring property rights.

Cullen told the Board he and his group spent $36,000 pursuing the case and raised questions about prior professional relationships among county attorneys and a judge, saying that those connections gave the county an "unfair advantage." He listed names — including attorney Barb Russ, Mark Weber, Tim Lee and a judge he identified as Sean Floor — and said appellate findings of fact were written by a judge who had previously worked in the same courthouse as other county-associated attorneys.

Cullen described unsuccessful attempts to hire outside counsel because of conflicts of interest and said further proceedings would continue in front of the judge who heard the case. The remarks in the transcript are allegations made in public comment; the Board did not respond on the record during the public-comment period and no formal action or staff response is recorded in the transcript.