Stories in this Regional News Roundup are excerpted from weekly newspapers from around the region. This is part two, with part one having appeared in Saturday’s Tribune.
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FARMINGTON — Blanche Rhea, mayor of Farmington, is accusing a town councilor of creating a hostile work environment after he challenged the actions of employees and elected officials, prompting one to resign.
In a Feb. 12 letter from Rhea to Councilor Mike Erickson, the mayor accuses him of creating a hostile work environment for calling out employees for alleged failures on the job, contacting The Whitman County Gazette about town issues and purportedly considering hiring legal counsel to address those issues.
“Numerous incidents have occurred that have contributed to a hostile work environment,” according to the letter.
Erickson disagrees with the mayor’s assessment.
“Whenever there is something that’s said that goes against the mayor’s wants, desires, opinions, they get shut down,” Erickson said. “The council is the legislative branch of our town government; it sets the policies.
“That’s not really happening.”
When contacted Tuesday, Erickson said he would be resigning from the council over the allegations of the mayor, and her threats of a lawsuit.
Despite his plan to step down, he said he still has several complaints over town government.
“My biggest complaint, in my short time on council, is that the mayor is not following the RCWs, the law of the state of Washington.” Erickson said.
Complaint letters
In a letter dated Jan. 29 to the mayor, councilor and town employee LaVon Walser complained about Erickson.
“Mr. Erickson has taken it upon himself to challenge my position as a council member by emailing MRSC three times, questioning the legitimacy of my dual role as both a council member and an employee of the town,” Walser wrote.
The MRSC — Municipal Research and Service Center — provides guidance to municipal officials statewide over matters of local governance, including whether its legal for an employee to serve on the town council.
Walser also complained that Erickson raised additional questions over whether the town, its employees and other elected officials were breaking state laws.
In a separate letter to the mayor, former Clerk/Treasurer Lynn Yarnell announced her Feb. 13 resignation after accusing Erickson of being aggressive and creating an atmosphere of fear and unease. The mayor said she received that letter Feb. 6.
“It has come to my attention that he has contacted a local newspaper to question my capabilities,” Yarnell wrote, adding Erickson suggested he was also considering legal action.
The clerk/treasurer’s letter said she does not “feel safe” on the job, but fails to include specific incidents of physical threats.
“I was accused of verbal and physical altercations,” Erickson said, calling the former clerk/treasurer’s claims far-fetched.
In response to the letters, the mayor hastily attempted to schedule a meeting about Erickson. As of press time, it was unclear who Rhea had invited to the meeting.
But Rhea did email Erickson at 8:12 a.m. Feb. 12, demanding he attend a 5:30 p.m. meeting the same day.
“I think it’s important to note I was out of town on vacation,” Erickson said, noting there was not any reasonable notice of a possible meeting.
Missed meeting
The mayor and Yarnell also penned a vague letter Feb. 12, with the women calling Erickson a “high risk liability” after he did not show up.
“Employees felt unsafe due to your threats and actions,” the letter said, noting verbal and physical altercations will not be tolerated.
That letter, however, fails to include specific details of physical confrontations or “threats,” as defined under state law.
Under the Revised Code of Washington, a “threat” is defined as directly or indirectly communicating a plan to use physical force against someone. Voicing the consideration of legal action is not a threat.
The letter then accuses Erickson of “emotional outbursts” during council meetings.
Erickson says the mayor is deflecting her personal behavior on him.
According to Erickson, about four former councilors have resigned because of the mayor in the last 7-9 months.
Furthermore, Erickson’s wife, Lonnie Erickson, said Erickson was recruited by Rhea as a means to push a councilor who asked questions of the council.
She also accused the mayor of divulging personal information about the status of water shutoffs of other residents.
“She’s an open book about everybody’s business that is going on and I think it is time that stops,” she said.
“I refuse to comment,” Rhea said, when asked about the letters. “It’s not been a good time; it’s not been an easy time.
“It’s an ongoing situation and we just want to keep everybody safe.”
— Teresa Simpson, Whitman County Gazette (Colfax), Thursday
Cleanup underway at fire-destroyed bar
KAMIAH — Employees of Jackson’s Wrecking and Salvage began the cleanup of the restaurant and bar on Kamiah’s Main Street on Feb. 26 that was destroyed by fire last spring. Burnt in an accidental fire Feb. 18, 2024, the properties were bought in January by Becky and Terry Jackson, of Kamiah.
Terry Jackson supervised his crew’s work on the fire-destroyed Roadside Bar and Grill.
“It’s been an eyesore on Main Street, and now we can clean it up. We (he and wife Becky) have owned it since five days ago,” Jackson said.
“The walls are fine, but we’ve got to get the beams down so it’s safe to work under. We don’t know what we will do with it yet; when it’s all cleaned up we can see what we’ve got,” said Jackson. He expects they will find inspiration for the right thing then.
— Lyn Krzeminski, Idaho County Free Press (Grangeville), Wednesday
