THANK YOU!!!

The voters of Pacific have cast their ballots in overwhelming numbers supporting the recall of Mayor Cy Sun. Current elections results are available on King County's election web page here. It was a hard-fought battle to get the issue before the citizens of this great city, but now that you have finally been allowed your say, you want sanity restored to City Hall.

The recall committee sends its deepest gratitude to the many who gave so much time, effort and money to win our city back. We made history! Now we wait until the election is certified on July 9th. Then the healing and restoration can truly begin. You done good, Pacific! THANK YOU!

Special Election Tomorrow

After numerous editorials in local papers calling on us to make an informed choice and vote to recall Mayor Cy Sun, Pacific voters will have their say tomorrow. All our hard work comes down to these final few hours. Be sure to turn in or mail your ballot by 8pm tomorrow! The elections department mobile van will be accepting ballots at the Pacific/Algona Library today until 5pm and tomorrow from 10am-8pm.

Remind your neighbors to vote, then join us to watch the election results at NW Brewing Company. Results will not be final until the elections is certified on July 9th. We not only hope for Cy Sun to be removed from office, but that he does not do further damage during his final days (for instance, he is trying once again to fire Public Safety Director John Calkins).

Thank you to the MANY volunteers who helped with this campaign. It's clear that we live in a city that cares about our future and wants sanity restored. Check our Facebook page for current announcements. See you tomorrow night!

RECALL VOTE SCHEDULED!!!

The recall petition was certified by King County Elections office today after enough signatures were verified. Pacific voters finally get to vote to keep Mayor Cy Sun in office or not. Today is a day of celebration for Pacific and the many citizens who realized they made a mistake in the last election. Pacific voters will finally have a chance to correct that mistake on June 25th.

Our work is not done. There is a campaign to run and neighbors to inform. We will share campaign material soon. To read the official letter from the elections office, follow this link...

Petition Submitted

In what was probably a state record, the petition to allow a recall vote of Pacific Mayor Cy Sun was submitted this morning, just two and a half days after signature gathering started. And the vast majority of those voters sought us out. We did very little door-to-door canvasing. Thank you to the 580 registered voters who supported this effort to give the citizens of Pacific their chance to vote! 

The King County Elections office said they need to verify that 415 of those 580 signatures are currently registered voters in Pacific. The 415 signatures represent 35% of the votes cast in the election that gave us Mayor Sun. The News Tribune is reporting that the elections office expects to have the verification complete in about three days, although we understand that they will canvas the signatures on May 9th. If we achieved our goal, a special election will be held within 45-60 days.

This is a major milestone against extremely challenging odds, especially when Mayor Sun openly declared he only appealed to the Supreme Court to increase the recall costs. As sweet as this victory is, we still have a long way to go and the outcome is far from certain.

In the few neighborhoods we doorbelled, it was clear there are still some vehement Sun followers. We fully support the right to honest disagreement - hopefully with civility. It is noteworthy that most of the council and many staff have acted with professionalism and restraint despite repeated attacks by Mayor Sun. We are passionate about the need to remove Cy Sun from office, but gauging from the reaction of a few this weekend, the challenge remains.

The facts speak for themselves. We will be compiling a concise list of the reasons to recall Mayor Sun in the coming days. We encourage you to be bold yet civil and approach your neighbors. They need to make an informed decision in the upcoming election. They need to hear the facts from you. The future of this city will soon be in your hands. Please get involved and let your voice be heard even before you vote.

Dodo Hall of Recall Fame

Today's Seattle Times editorial sums up our struggle to get this recall on the ballot very well. "It’s really, really hard to recall an elected official in Washington." After recounting other failed attempts to allow a recall vote, author Johnathan Martin sums it up with "All this is a reminder of the consequences of a hollowed-out news media. Good election-season vetting may have averted this debacle. Instead, people lost their jobs and Pacific is awash in needless bills. Farewell, Mayor Sun, and welcome to Washington’s dodo hall of recall fame."

If you are a registered voter in Pacific who wants to help right this wrong by signing the recall petition THIS WEEKEND, please email us at recallcy@blogspot.com. We hope to gather enough signatures by Monday morning to turn in the paperwork to the elections office. No more delays! 

Signature Gathering Starts At Noon Friday

Pacific voters finally get their chance to take some concrete action to take back their city beginning at noon tomorrow, Friday April 26th. The state Supreme Court issued their decision today allowing the recall effort to proceed to the signature gathering stage. This long-awaited step begins with a flourish across the street from city hall with the honor of the first signature going to recall committee chairman Don Thomson. Don promises to sign nice and big so Mayor Sun won't have any trouble reading it.

As soon as Don signs, the floodgates can open and other registered voters in Pacific can add their names to the petition. We need about 450 signatures, but want to get plenty extra so there is a wide margin for error. All signatures must be verified by the election department before a special election can be scheduled. Only currently registered voters within Pacific city limits are allowed to sign the petition. Others who want to help can assist with doorbelling for signatures.

Registered voters can stop by in front of the gift shop at 111 3rd Ave. SE (across from city hall) between noon and 6pm tomorrow.  It would be wonderful to have a line of people ready to sign at noon! If you can't make it tomorrow, petitions will also available on Saturday from 10am til 2pm at the same location. If you want to help doorbell, come by the gift shop and get an assignment.

Stop by tomorrow and celebrate with us! See you at high noon!

SUN LOSES RECALL APPEAL

The Washington State Supreme Court upheld all of the lower court's findings today regarding the charges for recalling Pacific Mayor Cy Sun. We can finally move ahead with gathering signatures so the issue can be put out for a vote by the citizens of Pacific. You can read the court's decision here...

Petitions will be printed and ready for signature as soon as possible, hopefully by this weekend. Stay tuned! Check our Facebook page for the latest details.

Sun Takes Out Another Officer and More Lawsuits Filed

Yesterday, Mayor Cy Sun placed Detective Newton on administrative leave pending an investigation into obstruction charges. We don't have any more details yet.

Public Safety Director John Calkins and four of his officers have filed suit against Cy Sun. We are working to get a copy of the court documents to confirm if the lawsuit is against Sun personally or against the City of Pacific. The Seattle PI has details in their article here...

In his rapid deterioration of any sense of sanity, Mayor Sun has barred the city administration from any work that would assist the council in the performance of their lawful duties. No staff was allowed to attend the council meeting Monday, nor will staff provide necessary information or support as the council continues to try to save this city.

But there is hope on the horizon. The State Supreme Court is scheduled to issue their decision today that would allow the recall to finally  move forward and stop this tyrant from any further damage.

Update On Civil Service Order

In case you haven't been following saga on the recall committee Facebook page, Mayor Sun refused to obey the civil service order reinstating police Lt. Massey and Director Calkins. He even had his attorneys file a lengthy petition with the court (link here) asking the court to endorse his position on this and several other issues. The court responded with a strongly worded order requiring the mayor to immediately follow the lawful civil service order or appear in court on May 3rd to explain why (link to the court's order here).

Police Chief and Lieutenant Return To Work Today

UPDATE 9pm: A copy of the civil service commission's order reinstating Chief Calkins yet again, along with Lt. Massey can be read via this link...

__________________________________

UPDATE 2pm: KING 5 is reporting that Sun's new appointment for police chief, Annette Spicuzza, has stepped down. You can read the report here...

__________________________________

Mayor Sun's antics have been corrected once again. The Pacific Civil Service Commission has just overruled Mayor Sun's decision to place Chief Calkins and Lt. Massey on administrative leave. The commission has restored then to full duty. They are returning to work this afternoon.  No word yet on what this means for Sun's latest hire, Annette Spicuzza, who reported moved here from out of state to replace Chief Calkins. 

Yard Sale Starts Today!

The recall is hosting another fund-raising yard sale. It kicks off this morning and runs through the weekend at 105 3rd Ave. SW, in Pacific. We're optimistic about the prospect that this will be our final fund-raiser. If it goes as well as the last yard sale did, then it's a done deal.

We're still waiting on word from the Supreme Court on their decision regarding the appeal of the recall action. Hopefully today is the day when voters' rights will reign supreme over tyranny in Pacific. We'll post something here when we get the word.

Hope to see you at the sale!

Supreme Court Decision on Recall Pending

The Washington State Supreme Court was scheduled for deliberations on the recall of Mayor Cy today. Sun and his team of lawyers had appealed the decision of King County Superior Court Judge Laura Inveen in October, causing a long delay in the recall process. If the Supreme Court approves the recall alegations, the process can proceed to collecting signatures to allow for a full vote on the recall.

Although deliberations were scheduled for today, there is no way to know when a decision will be made public. Watch the recall Facebook page for the latest news. Once a favorable decision is issued, signature gathering will begin as soon as possible.

Sun Hires Without Council Approval - Again

In case you missed the news the last day or so, Mayor Sun is back at it. He has hired a second Public Safety Director for the position currently filled by John Calkins. The hire was done without council knowledge or approval. News reports say Annette Spicuzza has moved to the area because of this job. She resigned from her last position at UC Davis in California after an investigation was very critical of her leadership following a controversial pepper spray incident with Occupy Wall Street protesters. More on Ms. Spicuzza's past is available here...

Mayor Sun's 911 Call

Mayor Sun's call requesting an escort to the police department when he delivered the paperwork placing the Public Safety Director and police lieutenant on administrative leave is now available (link here). Note that Sun was advised earlier about the procedure he would need to follow if he wanted assistance from King County Sheriff's office. He did not follow that procedure when he called 911 on Friday and the sheriff's office declined the request to send an escort for the mayor.

Decimated Police Force Stripped Even More

Mayor Cy Sun's vendetta against the Pacific Police Department took another ugly turn for the worse today. Sun placed both Public Safety Director John Calkins and Police Lieutenant Edwin Massey on administrative leave, claiming harassment and intimidation.

Under Sun's leadership, police ranks have gone from a department of 11 officers (plus staff) to 7 before today's action. Crime has risen, overtime is the norm and morale low. Sun has forbidden any city employee to discuss his latest move or face termination. A copy of the mayor's memo can be seen here...

The recall continues to wait for a decision from the Washington State Supreme Court before we can proceed. Mayor Sun has delayed and stalled the recall process every way he can, all while continuing to destroy this city. He continued that pattern today, putting the citizens of Pacific at even greater risk.

Garage Sale This Weekend

We still need to raise $10,000 to cover the costs just to get the recall out to the voters in Pacific. You can help by bringing all your friends and their wallets to this spectacular garage sale this weekend...

Mayor Sun Fires New City Clerk

We don't have many details yet, but Mayor Cy Sun has fired the new city clerk. The clerk was given a letter regarding her termination with no justification provided. The mayor continues his destructive pattern, even with the employees he hires. Meanwhile, the recall languishes in the court system - not allowing the people of Pacific to vote to continue on this path or not. We will post more details as soon as we can.

Auburn Reporter Story Link
Tacoma News Tribune Link
Q13 Fox Link
KING 5 Link 

Mayor Sun Wrong AGAIN: No Corruption In Pacific

The state auditor has reviewed the City of Pacific's finances and operations for 2011 and once again found no corruption or any other problems. The city complied with both state and local laws during the entire year, up until the day Mayor Cy Sun took office.

The report summarized:
"In the areas we examined, the City's internal controls were adequate to safeguard public assets."

In fact, the last eight years of independent audits by the State of Washington have shown no problems whatsoever. There were significant problems noted in the audits under former mayor Howard Erickson. Erickson is very close to Mayor Sun, with Sun repeatedly attempting to appoint him to the civil service board and using Erickson as an unqualified building inspector.

The full report is available on the state auditor's web site here...

Mayor Sun's Attempt To Overturn Civil Service Dismissed

Mayor Cy Sun's continued antics have been thrown out of court this time. You may recall that Sun didn't like the civil service commission's reinstatement of Public Safety Director John Calkins. Sun had promised to fire Calkins as soon as he was elected, despite the requirement that he justify any firing under civil service rules. After firing the Public Safety Director, the civil service commission reversed Sun's decision and reinstated Calkins.

Sun decided he would appeal the reinstatement to Superior Court, without council approval as required by law. Judge White threw out Sun's appeal in his ruling today. The judge left room to consider in more detail the council's motion that Mayor Sun should pay attorney fees and court costs for what they call "frivolous" legal action.

Public Safety Director John Calkins is currently out on medical leave due to stress. Pacific Police ranks are seriously depleted right now, crime is on the rise and Mayor Sun refuses to hire new officers that the council has funded. Instead, Mayor Sun spends money on frivolous lawsuits. It is well past time to vote on this recall!

Recall Decsion Delayed Again

Mayor Cy Sun has successfully delayed the recall decision by the State Supreme Court once again. This time, one of his lawyers will not be available (even though other lawyers on his team are available). The earliest we can hope for a special election is sometime this summer now.

Remember, all the recall does is allow the people of Pacific to vote on retaining Mayor Sun or not. For those of us fighting in the trenches just to get this issue before the voters, the process is obscene. All the cards are stacked against the citizens. When an elected official like Mayor Sun can wreck havoc in office untouched for a year and half (if we are lucky) before the people of Pacific can vote, something is very wrong.

Mayor Sun said he welcomed a recall (link here). Now he fights and delays the effort at every turn. His pattern of saying one thing and doing the opposite is well known to those in Pacific who have deal with him. It's time that others outside Pacific understand how very one-sided and onerous our recall system is. Please tell your friends. Let them know about this injustice. And ask them to help us fight this battle. Find out how to help at ProtectPacificVotes.com.

MyNortwest.com has a good summary of the recall process to date (link here).

Donate Via New Web Site

The issue of recalling Pacific Mayor Cy Sun is important for so many reasons beyond the destruction he has brought to the city we love. The recall process, as it currently exists in this state, places an unfair burden on the citizens. It costs too much money, takes too long and gives all the power to the elected official to easily play legal games. If you have been following the saga in Pacific, you already know this.

Now its time to tell the world. Tyrants can abuse their power in other cities. The battle is much larger than the borders of Pacific, Washington. Visit our new web page - then email, post to Facebook, share our story with your friends. And ask them to  help us. We still need to raise thousands of dollars before we can even start the process of bringing the recall of Cy Sun to the voters. Thank you!

www.ProtectPacificVotes.com

Updates

Although things have been quiet on this blog for a few weeks, unfortunately things have not quieted down in Pacific. Here are just a few of the things going on:

• The Washington State Supreme Court ruled yesterday that the new material Mayor Sun's attorney tried to add to the recall appeal (the attorney's declaration) would not be allowed. The court upheld the committee's right to cross appeal and threw out Sun's attempt to deny that right. We are waiting for the court's ruling on Sun's appeal of the lower court's finding that there is justification to allow a vote on this recall. Once the recall recieves the high court's approval, we can collect signatures and put the recall out for a vote. All this legal action does not remove Cy Sun from office. It simply allows the voters of Pacific to decide his fate.
• Mayor Sun continues to vow to block any attempt to return the police force to minimum staffing levels.
• Sun has made one attempt and promises a second - to appoint his friend Howard Erickson to the civil service commission. Erickson is the same unqualified friend that Sun hired as building inspector, whom the council refused to pay. The civil service commission oversees certain aspects of the police department (hiring, firing, more).
• Sun has appealed the civil service commission's reinstatement of Public Safety Director John Calkins after Sun tried to wrongfully fire him. The city is required to pay for Calkins attorney as this battle continues, costing even more of our tax dollars.
• Public disclosure laws require that Sun register with the Public Disclosure Commission and disclose the source of the thousands of dollars he is spending. This is considered a political campaign and contributions are limited to $900 per person. The recall committee has carefully followed all PDC rules. To date, Sun has not filed or reported anything to the PDC.
• Our only goal is to bring the recall to a vote of the people. The recall process continues to be costly, complex and draining. Sun and his attorney's throw motions and delays into that process at every turn. We have hired expert attorneys in order navigate this legal maze.  The state constitution guarantees the right of the people to recall elected officials from office, but this burdensome system makes that nearly impossible. We continue to need your help to cover these costs. We have set up a PayPal account (link here) for on-line donations. We are required to collect donors names and other information (link to that form here). Or contributions can be made to the Columbia Bank at 41st and A Street. Thank you for your help!

Sun Appealing Calkins' Reinstatement

Mayor Cy Sun is out running on his own again, in the name of the City of Pacific this time. And its unclear who has to pay the bill. Sun and his attorneys have filed an appeal in King County Superior Court asking the court to overturn the civil service decision that reinstated Public Safety Director John Calkins. The appeal is made by "The City of Pacific, through its mayor Cy Sun." The city attorney Ken Luce is not listed on the documents. Instead, Tyler Firkins is the attorney representing the mayor (and presumably the city), even though he does not have a contract with Pacific. The city is forced to pay for an attorney to represent Director Calkins, but it is unclear if Firkins will try to collect from Pacific's dwindling coffers.

Sun contends that he was justified in firing Calkins on the first offense without any progressive discipline, despite the commission's findings to the contrary. You can read more about the firing and reinstatement by clicking on the Calkins label on the lower left. The Calkins appeal document is available here. The rest of the appeal paperwork is listed on the court's web page here.

The bills keep mounting. Sun tried on his own to get the courts to give him authority to fire city attorney Luce (which he lost). Sun forced the city council to get a court order requiring the mayor to do his job and hire qualified people to fill key administrative vacancies that had been left vacant for too long. Sun is soley responsible for millions of dollars in lawsuits filed against the city. He is the only reason the city lost insurance coverage and now is forced to pay much more for less coverage.

The financial cost only tell part of the story. There is the loss to our reputation and community peace of mind. It's time to return sanity to city hall and recall Cy Sun from office.  Please help with your donation today.

Childish Antics

Have you noticed that the recall campaign signs around town are missing? Of about 150 printed and posted in local yards, most have been stolen. Someone sneaks out at night and takes them under the cover of darkness. Since this campaign is facing enormous financial constraints under state law (which Cy Sun is ignoring), these childish thefts hurt more than they should.

The mayor and his supporters don't appear to be able to handle their neighbor's right to free speech. It would nice if these folks had the maturity to debate these issues as adults and let the citizens of Pacific state their opinion without this petty harassment.

If you want to help combat these kinds of immature antics, please contribute to this campaign. Donations can be made at the Columbia Bank at 41st and A Street. Even if you donated before, please consider helping us get this issue before the voters of Pacific.

Add $175,000 To Sun's Damage

Former city clerk Jane Montgomery has settled her claim against the City of Pacific for $175,000. $25,000 of that was paid by the city and $150,000 paid by the insurance company. That payment included any costs for Montgomery's attorney.

Montgomery expressed sorrow that things ended this way. She felt she had done her job to the best of her ability and only tried to advise Mayor Sun on his legal obligations to the city. She said the insurance company acknowledged they advised Sun not to fire her, but they were ignored.

Although Montgomery could have gone to trial and sued Mayor Sun personally (since he acted on his own against legal advice) - and likely won a much higher settlement - she said this was the best outcome for all involved. She wishes the City of Pacific only good things for the future.