PORT ANGELES — The state Supreme Court has denied a Sequim man’s motion for reconsideration regarding the recall of four Port Angeles City Council members, leaving him liable for the city’s legal fees.
John Worthington, 61, filed petitions last year asking for the recall of Port Angeles City Council members Kate Dexter, Navarra Carr, Lindsey Schromen-Wawrin and LaTrisha Suggs.
The petitions alleged that the council members were not eligible for office because they were members of the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) and had not posted international bond.
ICLEI, an organization that the city belongs to rather than individual council members, is a global network of regional governments committed to sustainable development, according to its website.
In July, Worthington’s petitions were dismissed by the Clallam County Superior Court on the grounds that he lacked standing. Judge Lauren Erickson ruled that, because Worthington is not a member of the political subdivision of Port Angeles, he could not recall its city council members.
Erickson then granted the city’s motion that Worthington pay the city’s legal fees.
Worthington appealed to the state Supreme Court, arguing he had standing because the council members’ operations in ICLEI had influenced policy within his political subdivisions of Sequim and Clallam County.
A unanimous Supreme Court affirmed the lower court’s ruling earlier this month. Worthington then filed a motion asking the Supreme Court to reconsider its ruling. He noted that the court ruled based on standing, rather than the merits of his petitions.
“They never got to my merits of whether or not they’re required to be bonded, or whether they had violated their oath of office by agreeing to be part of an international group,” he said.
The motion to reconsider was denied Wednesday, closing the matter and leaving Worthington to pay for the legal fees that Port Angeles incurred.
To date, the city has spent $75,213.22 of general fund dollars in defense of the city council members, City Communications Coordinator Jessica Straits said.
When good people volunteer to “step up and run for office and represent us as elected officials, the city has an obligation to protect them from meritless legal actions brought by actors who have no legitimate interest or standing,” City Manager Nathan West said.
Worthington said he lives on Social Security payments and is judgment proof — essentially, he does not have the income or assets to be able to repay the city’s legal fees.
“I filed the appeal without fees, so the court knows I can’t afford it,” Worthington said.
If he has to, Worthington said he will file for bankruptcy. If that happens, Straits said the city would analyze that information and determine a course of action.
“The city is committed to ensuring that we are made whole fiscally,” Straits wrote in an email. “Our community members expect nothing less, and the judicial system has confirmed that these funds should be returned by Mr. Worthington.”
Although Worthington’s arguments haven’t gained ground in court, he said he has “not dropped the issue. That’s all I can say at this time.”
________
Reporter Emma Maple can be reached by email at emma.maple@peninsuladailynews.com.
