Sheriff's complete tree report on Mayor

Published 1:13 pm Thursday, December 11, 2008

Dennis Box

The Courier-Herald

The Pierce County Sheriff's Department released its investigative report last week concerning the accusation that Bonney Lake Mayor Bob Young used city staff to cut up a fallen tree top on his property

The investigation was conducted by Pierce County Sheriff's Detective Jeffery Maziarski.

The 86-page report documents interviews with nine people, including the mayor and City Councilman Phil De Leo, who forwarded the accusations to the Sheriff's Department. Others interviewed were city maintenance workers Eric Smith, Greg Helbling and Lance Johnson; Brent Hoff from the city's Public Works Department, Rick Shannon, operation maintenance supervisor; Mike Kittleson, public works lead man; and Seth Boettcher, former Public Works director.

The incident arose from a wind storm in early January of 2003 when the top of a cedar tree on the mayor's property blew down and blocked the road. Hoff responded to a call at 6 a.m. Jan. 2, about a downed tree top which was blocking the road. He cleared the tree from the street by pulling it to the side of the road. After Hoff cleared the road, a four-man crew went out the next day and cut up the tree top.

A year later, at the Jan. 27 city council meeting, a local citizen, Dan Decker, charged the mayor with malfeasance during the public comment period of the night.

The mayor was accused of directing city workers to clear the downed tree from his property.

The mayor has consistently denied any wrongdoing, stating the tree fell in the street and was pulled onto his property so the workers could cut it up.

De Leo requested a committee be formed to investigate the charges. The council initially formed the committee, but decided instead to forward the charges to the Pierce County Sheriff's Department.

The core accusation is the mayor directed the city maintenance workers to clear the tree top from his property.

Each of the workers and the supervisors denied knowing of any directive or request originating with the mayor.

In the summary of Kittleson's statement, Mazairski wrote, "I asked Mike if he was aware of anyone above Rick, who may have suggested that city work crews clean up the Mayor's yard and he said no." Kittleson's statement suggested it was simply a move by Shannon to gain political favor.

Shannon said he did not recall telling Kittleson to clean the street in front of the mayor's house nor was he directed to by anyone person above him to clean up the mayor's property.

In the mayor's statement he denied any wrong doing and stated, "I think the underlying it is, is Councilman De Leo being disingenuous in the accusations and, and I look at this as simply political harassment."

The report has been turned over to Pierce County Prosecutor Kevin Benton, chief of the District Court Division. Benton's office handles misdemeanors and gross misdemeanors, traffic and non traffic.

"We have been contacted by the Bonney Lake City Attorney and I have agreed to review the report," Benton said, adding he has not yet started the review.

Dennis Box can be reached at dbox@cmg-northwest2.go-vip.net/courierherald