SPOKANE – Mayor Jim West, facing a recall election over a City Hall sex scandal, said Friday he’ll sue The Spokesman-Review newspaper for invasion of privacy.
The newspaper in May broke stories contending West trolled a gay online chat room, offering young men city jobs in exchange for sex. Several young gay men told the newspaper they were offered perks, trips or City Hall jobs and appointments by West, who has said he did nothing illegal.
The FBI is investigating whether those offers and appointments constituted an abuse of public office.
West, 55, said he plans to sue no matter the outcome of a special recall election Dec. 6. The mayor faces a single count alleging he misused his office by offering to help an 18-year-old man he met at Gay.com get a City Hall internship.
The person the mayor thought was a man named Brad was really a computer expert the newspaper hired to track the mayor’s online activities.
Spokesman-Review editor Steve Smith said Friday he doubts West will ever make good on his threat, but wishes the mayor would file suit prior to the special election, so voters would have more information before making their ballot choice.
“We’re confident that in any legal action brought by Jim West and anybody else associated with this story that we’ll prevail in court on all counts, on all levels,” Smith said. “We stand behind our stories without qualification.”
The mayor said he agreed with his lawyers that a lawsuit was in order.
“The basic premise of the lawsuit is invasion of privacy,” West told The Associated Press on Friday. “I understand from my lawyers that they believe that the Spokesman-Review actually broke state and federal laws regarding computer trespass and laws regarding privacy.
“Basically, the reason I’m bringing a lawsuit is, nobody, public or private, should go through what the Spokesman-Review has done to me as far as invading my privacy.”
A lawsuit would allow the newspaper to depose West under oath, Smith said, “so questions he’s been ducking for months could be answered in time for the recall election.”
West said he wants to wait until after the election so the lawsuit won’t become an issue that will confuse voters.
Smith said West can claim to have a right to privacy, but not when it involves his public performance.
“I think the issue is always, when do the actions of a public official move into the public arena in such a way as to affect his performance or public policy? My argument is, in the case of Jim West, those things he claims are personal and private are in fact of significant public importance,” Smith said. “And in those arenas, I don’t believe he has any right to privacy and I don’t think his privacy has been violated.”
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