Seattle Times Editorial on Shoreline Open Meetings Case

This Seattle Times editorial blasts the City of Shoreline for not only violating the Open Public Meetings Act but for then blaming its woes on the citizens who filed suit to expose the violations:

"Former Mayor Constance King and another former council member, Kevin Grossman, have taken some criticism for filing the lawsuit in the first place. But the fault is not theirs; they did a service in alerting citizens of the violations.

"The fault lies with the stubbornness of the accused council members, who still have not admitted wrongdoing despite compelling evidence. A violation of the act carries a penalty of $100 per person per violation. If they had paid the fines, they would have been out a nominal amount of money.

"In addition to the $159,000 paid to cover plaintiff's legal fees, the city of Shoreline has spent around $350,000 in legal fees.

"And for what? To defend elected officials trying to make a point that is indefensible?

"Come on."

Note: Allied Law Group represented the citizens in this case.