Public commenter alleges county violated Washington open-meetings law, urges charter changes

Kimberly Goheen Elvin told the Clark County Charter Review Commission on July 15 that she had been repeatedly denied access to local advisory meetings in April, June and July 2026 and that in one incident she was physically removed from a meeting and the door locked behind her. "In April, the exclusion turned hostile," she said, and later added that a county manager had told her the council "is not required to allow public attendance," which she said was "completely false."

Elvin cited Washington’s Open Public Meetings Act, naming portions of the statute she said apply: she referenced RCW 42.30.060 and RCW 42.30.120 and warned that actions taken in illegally closed meetings can be void and that officials who knowingly attend such meetings can face personal fines. "This blatant exclusion is unacceptable in a representative form of government," she said, and urged the commission to draft a charter amendment to create strict local oversight, require immediate transparency for county advisory boards and establish an independent ethics panel.

Chair Erickson and other commissioners did not engage in debate during the public‑comment period; the chair thanked Elvin for her testimony and moved the meeting on to the agenda. The commission’s staff and legal advisers were present throughout the meeting; the commission did not take immediate action on Elvin’s request during the July 15 session.

The Open Public Meetings Act citations Elvin used were stated in her remarks to the commission and are recorded in the public comment portion of the July 15 meeting. The commission may consider whether the claim requires referral to staff or legal counsel for fact‑finding or whether to incorporate related language into proposed charter amendments in future work sessions. The commission did not vote or otherwise resolve the allegations at this meeting.