This year's race for governor finds the residents of the Garden State in a surly mood. Personal and financial scandals forced Democrat Jim McGreevey to resign last year,
Meanwhile, Jim I'm-as-innocent-as-a-baby-lamb West refuses to resign even when the GOP tells him to. GOPers are incapable of discerning the difference between truth and lies, between right and wrong and when they've overdone their stay at the trough.
"Mayor West cannot serve Spokane effectively"
05:45 PM PDT on Thursday, June 2, 2005
Rob Kauder / KREM.com
SPOKANE - Three years ago, Jim West received hundreds of thousands of dollars in GOP campaign funds to win the most expensive state Senate campaign in Washington history. On Thursday afternoon, the state and local Republican committees turned their backs on him and called for West's resignation as mayor of Spokane.
"The voters of Spokane expected Mayor Jim West would serve their city with integrity and honesty," Michael Casey, chairman of the Spokane County GOP said, flanked by prominent Republican leaders including prominent Spokane attorney Shaun Cross and State Representative John Ahern.
"Jim West’s admitted conduct fails to meet these expectations. Without public trust Mayor West cannot serve Spokane effectively. As Republicans we hold all elected officials to the highest standard of the community and we cannot condone irresponsible behavior or poor judgment. Therefore the Republican Party can no longer support Jim West as mayor and we ask him to resign immediately."
The county Republican Party's actions were mirrored by a similar statement from the state GOP which issued its own statement shortly after the news conference.
"The Spokane Republican Party is the closest to this situation and we trust their judgment on this matter," State GOP Chairman Chris Vance said.
Bill Etter, one of West's lawyers, said the mayor was en-route to Spokane from Tampa, Florida and could not reach him for comment. West has scheduled a Friday afternoon press appearance in Spokane in which he will answer questions about his conduct.
The Spokane County GOP is the latest in a string of organizations that once supported West that are now calling on the mayor to step down. Earlier this week, the Spokane City Council unanimously passed a non-binding resolution against West, who has been attending a US Commerce Department meeting this week in Tampa.
A statement issued by his attorneys said that the council had taken a "leadership role in a rush to prejudge the Mayor. Citizens of Spokane elected Mayor West and we're confident and trustful that they will be more patient, thoughtful and fair-minded before reaching any judgment."
Last week the board of the Spokane Area Economic Development Council and the Inland Northwest Business Alliance, which represents the area's gay and lesbian business community, asked West to resign. Two weeks ago the Spokane Chamber of Commerce and the Spokane Convention and Visitors Bureau issued a joint statement calling on West to step down as well.
The FBI is conducting a preliminary investigation into whether West offered city jobs to young men he met in a gay chat room in exchange for sex.
The US Attorney for Western Washington, John McKay, is directing a preliminary FBI investigation into possible federal criminal violations by West. McKay's office is handling the federal investigation because Jim McDevitt, the US Attorney for Eastern Washington, asked to be recused because he is a friend of West's and a campaign contributor.
West, 55, has denied allegations he molested two boys in the 1970s. Those allegations first came to light in an article published by The Spokesman-Review on May 5.
He did acknowledge he visited Gay.com and had relations with adult men and has said he will fight allegations of sexual abuse and misuse of his office and will not resign.
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