PORT ANGELES — City residents were served with legal papers as part of the process when the city asked a Clallam County Superior Court judge to decide whether two anti-fluoride initiatives are eligible to be put on a ballot.
That’s what City Attorney Bill Bloor said when asked why individuals were named in the city’s request for a declaratory judgment by the court.
The city’s lawsuit, filed Sept. 18, seeks to have both the Medical Independence Act and the Water Additives Safety Act declared beyond the scope of the initiative power granted to Port Angeles residents on July 5.
Legal summons were served on Lynn Warber, campaign chair for the initiative committee Our Water — Our Choice! and Ann Mathewson, treasurer of the initiative committee Protect Our Waters.
The legal procedure came as a surprise to at least one of the officers for the initiatives.
“I was pretty shocked and scared to have been served by a policeman with a summons,” Mathewson said.
“It was pretty scary, I guess the city’s playing hardball and want us to go away but we won’t. It can be a little intimidating.” she said.
Bloor said the move actually is meant to protect initiative supporters and their cause.
“The lawsuits really are against the initiatives but the best you can do is sue the initiative sponsors,” said Bloor.
“The courts have said they want you to name some person with a stake in the issue,” he said.
“So you name at least one person really interested in the issue, which protects the interests of the people sponsoring the initiative.”
The Washington Dental Services Foundation, which gave the city a $260,000 grant to start its fluoridation program, also was named in the city’s lawsuit.
