By: E&P Staff Mayor James E. West of Spokane, Wash., has lost his job, after being recalled by voters in a special election Tuesday. His downfall was set in motion by reports in the local Spokesman-Review that he used a city computer to visit gay chat rooms on the Web and other allegations.
West, 54, must leave his position when the election results are certified Dec. 16. The vote for the recall was passing by nearly a 2-1 margin. The measure accused West of using "his elected office for personal benefit.
He has not been charged with a crime, but FBI agents seized computers from his home as part of an investigation.
"I said I'd abide by the will of the voters, obviously, and they've spoken," West said. "I'm at peace with their decision and disappointed."
West, a former Boy Scout executive and sheriff's deputy, was elected mayor in 2003 after serving more than two decades as a conservative Republican in the state Legislature, where he voted against gay-friendly bills.
The recall campaign began after the Spokesman-Review newspaper reported in May that West was a closeted homosexual who visited gay chat rooms using his city-owned laptop computer, and offered internships and other favors to young men he hoped to have sex with.
One person he thought was a high-school senior was really a computer expert hired by the newspaper.
West has denied any wrongdoing. In a newspaper ad, he acknowledged making "personal mistakes" but insisted he had "never done anything to harm our city."
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here