{"id":2346713,"date":"2024-09-27T11:37:59","date_gmt":"2024-09-27T15:37:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/spokane-valley-opts-not-to-provide-councilmember-an-attorney-at-taxpayers-expense-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-09-27T11:40:58","modified_gmt":"2024-09-27T15:40:58","slug":"spokane-valley-opts-not-to-provide-councilmember-an-attorney-at-taxpayers-expense-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/spokane-valley-opts-not-to-provide-councilmember-an-attorney-at-taxpayers-expense-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Spokane Valley opts not to provide councilmember an attorney at taxpayers expense &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fspokane-valley-opts-not-to-provide-councilmember-an-attorney-at-taxpayers-expense-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2346713&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The Spokane Valley City Council has unanimously decided not to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/south-dakota-senate-committee-advances-bill-banning-biological-males-from-girls-sports\/\" title=\"South Dakota Senate Committee Advances Bill Banning Biological Males from Girls&#039; Sports\">provide legal representation<\/a> for Councilmember Al Merkel at\u200b taxpayer expense, as he appeals findings from a third-party \u2063investigation. The investigation concluded that Merkel violated the council&#8217;s Governance Manual and\u200d possibly state law, following\u200c a complaint from fellow Councilmember Jessica\u2062 Yaeger regarding his conduct\u200c on the social media platform Nextdoor. Merkel contends he uses the platform to engage with his constituents personally,\u200b while the investigator asserted \u2063that his actions violated social\u2063 media policies and \u2062may qualify as public records.<\/p>\n<p>The council&#8217;s decision \u2063not \u2064to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/grading-elon-musks-first-year-at-twitter-4-major-wins-but-much-room-for-improvement\/\" title=\"Grading Elon Musk\u2019s First Year At Twitter: 4 Major Wins But Much Room For Improvement\">fund legal support<\/a> came amidst concerns about the costs, which could range from $5,000 to $10,000, following previous investigations that \u2063cost over $28,000. Merkel did not request city-funded legal \u2064assistance; however, he remains subject to the outcome of his appeal, scheduled for a city hearing on October 24. State and local regulations prevented \u200bhim from participating in the council&#8217;s discussions regarding this decision. The council&#8217;s ruling references specific city legislation that prohibits taxpayer-funded legal\u2063 representation in cases of policy violations by\u200d councilmembers.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Spokane Valley opts not to provide councilmember an attorney at taxpayers expense<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1770560\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>(The Center Square)&nbsp;&ndash;&nbsp;The Spokane Valley City Council voted unanimously on Tuesday not to provide Councilmember Al Merkel with legal representation amid his appeal to an investigation brought on by his peers.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/metro-buses-to-take-over-some-of-dc-circulators-routes-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Metro buses to take over some of DC Circulator\u2019s routes - Washington Examiner\">city announced earlier<\/a> this month that a third-party&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecentersquare.com\/washington\/article_37092b96-6af2-11ef-85d7-0ffd55126b83.html\">investigation<\/a><\/strong>&nbsp;found&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecentersquare.com\/washington\/article_c7f4a296-4b9b-11ef-b1d1-f7eac61024fc.html\">Merkel<\/a><\/strong>&nbsp;violated the council&rsquo;s Governance Manual and potentially state law. The situation ensued following a complaint from fellow Councilmember Jessica Yaeger over his use of the social media platform Nextdoor.<\/p>\n<p>Merkel&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecentersquare.com\/washington\/article_37092b96-6af2-11ef-85d7-0ffd55126b83.html#:~:text=Merkel%20frequents%20the%20platform%20and%20uses%20it%20to%20engage%20with%20his%20constituency%2C%20but%20he%20said%20on%20a%20personal%20level%2C%20not%20for%20city%20business.%C2%A0\">attests<\/a><\/strong>&nbsp;that he uses the platform to engage with his constituency, but on a personal level, not for city business; however, the investigator disputes this, concluding that Merkel violated the Governance Manual&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/deloittes-new-social-media-policy-prohibits-employees-from-illegal-speech-in-private-conversations\/\" title=\"Deloitte\u2019s New Social Media Policy Prohibits Employees From \u2018Illegal Speech\u2019 In Private Conversations\">social media policy<\/a> and &ldquo;more likely than not&rdquo; the Public Records Act.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I want to set the record straight,&rdquo; Merkel wrote in a press release, &ldquo;I did not ask the city to pay for my attorney&rsquo;s fees.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>According to Tuesday&rsquo;s&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/spokanevalley.granicus.com\/MetaViewer.php?view_id=3&amp;clip_id=1441&amp;meta_id=92675\">agenda<\/a><\/strong>, if the Valley did provide Merkel with city-funded representation, it could&rsquo;ve cost approximately $5,000 to $10,000. Merkel already faced another&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecentersquare.com\/washington\/article_e151d852-0f10-11ef-992a-1710a40d1ad4.html\">investigation<\/a><\/strong>, which, according to records obtained by The Center Square, cost the Valley at least $28,000.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The Center Square asked Communications Manager Jill Smith about the cost of this most recent investigation and the price of the city&rsquo;s representation throughout the appeal process. Smith did not provide an answer prior to publishing.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The city and investigator allege that Merkel&rsquo;s posts likely qualify as public records, but they&rsquo;re unable to archive them due to him using a personal account. They continually pushed for him to use a councilmember-specific account, which uses an automatic page freezer for archiving.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Merkel didn&rsquo;t comply, opting to ask his constituents whether he should appeal the findings, which he said could come at the cost of their tax dollars, or take the reprimand.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>He ultimately appealed the investigator&rsquo;s findings to the city hearing examiner on Sept. 10 with a date scheduled for the case on Oct. 24. Per state and local regulations, Merkel was not allowed to participate in Tuesday&rsquo;s discussion or vote.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The remaining six Councilmembers voted unanimously that Councilmember Merkel is not entitled to city-funded legal representation because&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.codepublishing.com\/WA\/SpokaneValley\/html\/SpokaneValley02\/SpokaneValley0270.html#2.70.030:~:text=2.70.030%20Exclusions.,7%20%C2%A7%C2%A03%2C%202002).\">SVMC 2.70.030<\/a><\/strong>&nbsp;prevents the City from doing so for claims that Councilmembers violated city policy,&rdquo; according to the city&rsquo;s&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/content.govdelivery.com\/accounts\/WASPOKANEVALLEY\/bulletins\/3b81839\">press release<\/a><\/strong>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>When initially asked to recuse himself, Merkel told Mayor Pam Hayley that he disagreed with her interpretation of the law that prohibited him from participating. She asked him again, noting it&rsquo;s the interpretation of multiple people, including the state Supreme Court, to which he again disagreed.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;You disagree with the Supreme Court,&rdquo; she asked, smiling at Merkel.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I mean, I disagree with this interpretation,&rdquo; Merkel responded.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>City Manager John Hohman chimed in, noting that the city anticipated Merkel&rsquo;s reluctance to rescue himself, asking the rest of the council to proceed anyway. Hohman told Merkel that regardless, he could not vote or ask questions.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Hohman reminded Merkel of the state and local law, which City Attorney Kelly Konkright backed up, followed by Hayley asking staff to mute Merkel&rsquo;s microphone on the dais.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Part of my responsibilities as your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/far-left-cheers-as-homeless-group-seizes-hotel-near-tacoma-city-leaders-negotiating-with-group-as-police-refuse-to-intervene\/\" title=\"Far Left Cheers As Homeless Group Seizes Hotel Near Tacoma; City Leaders Negotiating With Group As Police Refuse To Intervene\">city manager<\/a> is to manage risk,&rdquo; Hohman said. &ldquo;This has been one of the most challenging years I think we&rsquo;ve had since our incorporation in 2003, mostly due to Councilmember Merkel&rsquo;s pattern of behaviors.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>He said this isn&rsquo;t about anyone trying to silence Merkel; it&rsquo;s about following the rules. If Merkel wishes to have legal representation, he must provide it at his own expense or someone else&rsquo;s, he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1770560\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1770560\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Spokane Valley City Council denies taxpayer-funded attorney for Merkel<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2346714,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/AP24014160536170-1024x683.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[4930,7694,41855,8956,32076],"class_list":["post-2346713","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-attorney","tag-councilmember","tag-spokane-valley","tag-taxpayers","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/AP24014160536170-1024x683.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2346713","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2346713"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2346713\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2346714"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2346713"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2346713"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2346713"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}