By: A judge on Thursday granted a newspaper's request to make public gay-themed material from Spokane Mayor James E. West's City Hall laptop computer, but placed restrictions on the release of images from a gay-oriented Web site.
Judge Richard Miller ordered the release of an index showing the dates and times West used the computer to access Gay.com and other Web sites.
But the judge said the Web addresses of member profiles West viewed on the site's dating service would be obscured, and images on the mayor's hard drive would not be released, to protect the privacy of third parties.
"Clearly the public has the right to evaluate the mayor's performance," Miller said. But, he added, releasing the pictures "could 'out' people without their permission."
Miller said the contents of West's city-owned laptop include about 3,300 images, including about 100 showing male genitalia or buttocks. Many of the images show the upper torso of shirtless men, Miller said.
Attorneys for The Spokesman-Review newspaper went to court to seek release of the files.
West fought release of the computer's contents, contending they were private and that the Internet sites were accessed during off-work hours. The city allows employees to make limited use of city equipment to access the Internet for private reasons.
The mayor faces a recall election Dec. 6 over allegations that he abused his office by offering a City Hall internship to an 18-year-old man he met in a Gay.com chat room. West has denied any wrongdoing.
He has not been charged with a crime, but FBI agents seized computers from West's home as part of a public corruption investigation.
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