The other day, it occurred to me that I’ve never seen so many local elected officials being sued at the same time.
Right now, County Commissioner Loretta Smith, Mayor Ted Wheeler, and City Commissioner Chloe Eudaly all face lawsuits—each of them filed by constituents who are representing themselves.
It’s not a coincidence. More and more, the city and county’s most vocal critics aren’t willing to stop at criticism. They want a judge to agree on their gripes—and they sometimes even succeed.
With that in mind, here’s a look at where the lawsuits stand, and what they might lead to.
In the suit that probably has the best chance of effecting change, local activist Woolley is hoping a judge will force Smith out of her job.
At issue is a provision in the county charter that says elected officials need to resign from office if they begin “running” for another elected office before the final year of their term.
As the Mercury has reported, Smith began a campaign for City Commissioner Dan Saltzman’s seat last year, creating a website and hiring campaign staff. Woolley says that’s enough to force her from office. In a filing last week, Smith argued that only filing for office would have triggered the need to resign.
Both parties had a conference call with a judge last week, but have yet to meet in court.