By Rachel La Corte, Associated Press
OLYMPIA — Republican Rep. Jesse Young has been restricted from dealing with his legislative assistants for at least a year after accusations of mistreatment.
In a Dec. 13 letter sent from a House attorney, Young was notified that the chamber was taking actions to address a “pattern of hostile and intimidating behavior.”
“The allegations are both credible and serious,” the letter from House Counsel Alison Hellberg reads.
The letter, obtained this week by The Associated Press, says that Young will have no supervisory role over his replacement legislative assistant and will have “very limited direct contact.”
Young, of Gig Harbor, also will not be eligible for a district office for the next year, because “many of the issues complained of took place in the district office.”
“The remote nature of a district office is incompatible with the corrective measures that need to be undertaken,” the letter says.
Email and phone messages left Monday with Young were not immediately returned.
The letter — which does not name the affected staffers or list the specific behavior Young is accused of — says House administrators will consider removing the restrictions if Young completes an anger management program, a management training program and respectful workplace training.
While his legislative assistant will complete normal job functions, like scheduling or communicating with constituents, they will report directly to House Republican Caucus management instead of Young.
Young, who represents the 26th District, was appointed to the House in 2014 to fill a vacant seat, and then was elected to a full two-year term later that year.
The letter notes that ethical concerns were also raised during the course of the investigation of mistreatment of staff and “those are still under review.” An email to the legislative ethics board seeking comment was not immediately returned.
Chief Clerk of the House Bernard Dean said he wouldn’t comment on personnel matters, and a spokesman for House Republican leaders said there would be no comment from the caucus.
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