Yesterday the Spokesman Review ran this story written by Nick Deshais regarding the most recent ethics complaint against Mayor David Condon. My question is why is the SR leaving important FACTS in their stories regarding Condon?

 

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2015/dec/22/fourth-ethics-complaint-filed-in-spokane-sexual-ha/

 

One has to ask why Deshais once he received this quote from the complainant Sherry Jones didn’t follow-up with facts he knows to be true.

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“The message went out to all departments at City Hall: The mayor doesn’t take accusations of sexual harassment or assault seriously,” Jones said. “He’s blaming Monique Cotton for his lack of due diligence in following city policy. That’s another example of victim blaming. We want him to take responsibility.”

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Jones’s statement simply begged for inclusion of other facts known to the SR…like for example details surrounding the transfer of Carly Cortright under exactly the same circumstances as Cotton two years prior. Some new details surrounding the Cortright transfer were reported in the Inlander prior to the Deshais story yet he chose not to use some of those details in his story even though Jones expresses her concern about how seriously Condon takes sexual harassment. The SR and the PNW Inlander frequently use quotes and details from each other’s stories so why not this time (“penis-measuring contests”, “referring to a person who performs fellatio”)

 

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Inlander:

That Straub allegedly referred to former police department executive Carly Cortright using the c-word in front of male officers, according to police Capt. Brad Arleth and Lt. Joe Walker.

In executive staff meetings, Straub would reference penis-measuring contests when challenged. Then he’d flop his forearm onto the table, Arleth and Cortright say.

In August of 2013, Straub threatened to demote Arleth and fire Cortright after they exchanged a knowing glance and raised eyebrows during another executive meeting. If they didn’t believe him, call back to Indianapolis, Arleth and Cortright recall Straub saying. Straub then used a vulgarity, referring to a person who performs fellatio, to emphasize how difficult he could be, the two say.

Cortright, who had worked for the police department for more than a decade before she moved to a new job in City Hall two years ago, constantly butted heads with Straub over budgetary issues. For her, the culture created under his leadership punished honesty.

 

http://www.inlander.com/spokane/cop-culture/Content?oid=2631527

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MORE BACKGROUND HERE!

https://examplepro.me/2015/12/10/even-more-embarrassing-for-the-sr/

 

 

Some of the other questions that arise from the SR Reporting are FACTS known to Deshais that should have been investigated far more diligently and reported when Condon made the claim that Cotton was transferred to the Park Department because of her expertize. Those FACTS are that Condon tried to move Cotton to the Fire Department first. Deshais does mention in yesterday’s story that the SR learned in August of the attempt to transfer Cotton to Fire.

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“After Cotton brought her concerns to Condon and City Administrator Theresa Sanders, there were discussions to move her to the fire department, but fire officials rebuffed the effort. Instead, they told the city administration that they “would prefer to do recruitment for someone that was better suited for fire,” as Assistant Fire Chief Brian Schaeffer told The Spokesman-Review in August.”

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Deshais also mentioned the attempted Fire Department transfer here back on September 23^rd prior to the election, but with NO known investigative follow-up.

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2015/sep/23/chief-straub-forced-out/

 

MORE BACKGROUND HERE!

 

https://examplepro.me/2015/12/20/dont-forget-the-fire-department/

 

Another big question is WHY the SR refuses to use FACTS that were offered to them well prior to the election and provide great insight as to what Monique Cotton’s state of mind might have been when all of this was going on?

 

MORE BACKGROUND HERE!

 

https://examplepro.me/2015/10/19/lets-start-with-the-cottonnapolitano/

 

With all of the ethics complaints and the “Independent Investigation” will we ever know the FACTS? It is hard to say at this point. Some of things we don’t know is exactly when the alleged ass grabbing and attempt to kiss took place, exactly what Condon’s interaction was with Sanders on handling the complaint, what was Sanders interaction with Lowe, Isserlis, Condon and on and on. Some of us in the media are giving it our best shot to try and inform our readers…others not so much.

 

 

Here is another episode in my continuing PRR War with the City. The key here is whether or not I will actually get affidavits from the various players in the Cotton/Straub case which the Washington State Supreme Court details in their recent decision of the Nissen v Pierce County case. I haven’t heard from Terri Pfister yet, and I understand that this move on my part is causing quite a furor down at City Hall.

 

 

It is too bad that the small group far left and far right commenters on the SR website don’t have a clue as to the facts yet they offer an ill-informed prosecution on one side and an ill-informed defense on the other.

 

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2015/dec/22/fourth-ethics-complaint-filed-in-spokane-sexual-ha/comments/

 

 

 

I REPORT YOU DECIDE!

 

 

 

The narrative the Condon Administration has continually put forth to the public is that Monique Cotton was so valuable to push the Park Department’s “Your Park Now” campaign after the $64-million-dollar Park Bond that he just had to move her there, give her a big raise, and have SPD pay her salary.

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Monique Cotton, Marketing and Communication Manager

Monique was selected by Mayor Condon to lead communication, marketing and public relations efforts for the Riverfront Park Bond and the City of Spokane Parks and Recreation Division. Monique is responsible for the successful communication and promotion of the $64-million-dollar Park Bond, ongoing and consistent public engagement and the promotion and advertisement of Parks Programming and Recreation Programming.

Monique has worked with the City of Spokane since 2011.  She was hired by the Spokane Police Department to improve community and media relations and improve the Department’s public image. Monique is a former television reporter, and has served as communication and marketing consultant for government, corporate and non-profit organizations. She has a BA in Communication from Washington State University and is currently working to obtain her Accreditation in Public Relations from the Public Relations Society of America.

http://riverfrontparknow.com/our-team/staff/

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But wait just a second! If that were true, why in the world did Condon first try to move her to the Fire Department?

 

Some of the local media were tipped to the attempt to move Cotton to SFD, including Nick Deshais of the Spokesman Review, as a result Deshais and Schaeffer had this email exchange on August 28^th, 2015 in which Schaeffer documents the fact that a meeting did take place regarding moving Cotton to SFD.

 

 

So what are we missing? We are missing the good ole WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, and WHY, which needs follow up. Who was at the meeting? What was discussed at the meeting? Where did the meeting take place? When did it take place? Why did it take place? All the simple stuff.

 

Condon in his letter to the City Council stated that the reason Public Records were withheld until after the election is because Deshais had specified in his PRR that he only wanted “complaints”. Even using that bunk excuse doesn’t explian why records of those meetings to this day haven’t been suppied to me, and were included in my September 5, 2015 PRR as well as a number of times in emails betweent Terri Pfister and myself subsequent to September 5^th.

 

“As well as any and all documents from third parties relating to the transfer of Monique Cotton from the Spokane Police Department to the City of Spokane Parks Department and or concerning formal or informal complaints made by or against Frank G. Straub or Monique Cotton.”

 

One of my recent email exchanges between Terri Pfister and myself documents my most recent clarification for Ms. Pfister. You may find these interesting as well as a subsequent email to her I will report on later.

 

 

 

 

Here is something else you folks might find interesting. These are letters and emails exchanged between Bob Dunn and Nancy Isserlis were just recently released. The question I have for my readers is do these Public Records from June of 2015, which were not released until recently, depict that a “complaint” was made consistent with the Deshais’s August 18^th PRR and a “transfer” took place, both consistent with my September 5^th PRR?

 

 

https://files.acrobat.com/a/preview/5e51b3f0-6e8d-4134-b178-f0d4776b3b78

 

 

https://files.acrobat.com/a/preview/fe2e59df-dc6a-473c-ba0d-70bf959554d2

 

BOY OH BOY…WHAT WOULD THE PUBLIC HAVE THOUGHT IF THOSE RECLORDS WOULD HAVE BEEN MADE PUBLIC BEFORE THE ELECTION????

 

 

I REPORT YOU DECIDE!

 

 

 

 

 

For those that haven’t been following my “PRR War” you should know that Ms. Pfister’s original estimate for completing my Public Records Request was ONE YEAR. It quickly jumped to TWO YEARS. Now we are up to THREE YEARS.

So I guess the question is; “Will I be around?” to actually receive the final response to my Public Records Request?  🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

Most people are aware that some of us retired SPD cops have been following Condon’s hire of Frank Straub from day one. We could not understand how he could have been hired with all the well documented dirt going on in Indianapolis…but he was… so we tried as hard as we could to get the word out but were blown off at every turn. One of our concerns, aside from all the other concerns, was the way Straub handled contracts. Many were very questionable and resulted in investigations, they also cost the City of Indianapolis millions and they are still trying to recover from them. The news report below which was published on December 14^th was written by Investigative Reporter Russ McQuaid of FOX59 in Indy who did a heck of a job digging into Straub’s activities in Indianapolis. Most of his work as well as the work of other reporters in Indianapolis including Sandra Chapman of WTHR 13 in Indianapolis were supplied to the Spokesman Review. Both were contacted by one of the retired cops and they had considerable info on Straub that they published well prior to Condon hiring Straub. An interesting note about Sandra Chapman is that she did a really good story on the high profile Diploma Mill case that originated here in Spokane which I worked on. It was recommended to the Spokesman Review in 2013 that they contact their counterparts in Indianapolis and get the scoop on Straub…they never did.

 

The only media outlet in Spokane to contact McQuaid was the Inlander and they quoted him in this story. He could have told them much more about Straub including his stories about Straub’s truthfulness, as well as other things well documented prior to Straub’s hiring in Spokane.

 

http://www.inlander.com/spokane/fall-out-boys/Content?oid=2575005

 

 

So why should we be worried? Well for those that don’t know the City of Spokane and Spokane County are in the process of spending millions of our dollars on a new Computer Aided Dispatch and Records Management System and Frank Straub was involved in the process, which I might add looks like it is having some problems.

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For more than a dozen years, the Tiburon system provided computer aided dispatch for police, fire and EMS runs in the City of Indianapolis and its 800,000 residents. That system had been updated over the course of time but was in need of an overhaul. Tiburon authorities told FOX59 that they had been assured by then-Public Safety Director Dr. Frank Straub that their company would be chosen to provide Indianapolis with a new system at a cost of approximately $3 million which maintain continuity of operations, maintenance and records.

Straub resigned at the end of April, 2012, chased out of office over unfounded claims of widespread police corruption and a deteriorating relationship with police, the public and the staff of Mayor Greg Ballard.

Ballard allowed Straub to stay on for 90 days that summer to search for a new job and it was during that window Tiburon officials claim they were informed their bid would not accepted and that the Department of Public Safety, and the Public Safety Board, operating on behalf of the mayor’s office, would enter into a contract with a new provider.

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http://fox59.com/2015/12/14/indianapolis-ends-doomed-13-million-deal-on-public-safety-communications/

 

 

WHO ME WORRY…WHAT’ S THERE TO WORRY ABOUT????

 

 

TEASER

 

I’ll be doing a story shortly on the new Chief Selection Panel so stay tuned.