At first, the plan to grow the council to seven elected officials looked to pass. Then council members changed their minds.
The Black Diamond Police Department honored Hunter with a police procession.
The South King Youth Shelter is open and running once again.
Chris Wisnoski was nominated and confirmed unanimously to the Position No. 5 council seat.
According to Ballotpedia.org, Pepper is the sixth elected official in Washington to be recalled.
Councilwoman Pat Pepper will most likely be recalled as soon as the February special election is certified Friday, Feb. 23.
A King County judge found Black Diamond Councilwoman Pat Pepper and former council members Brian Weber and Erika Morgan violated the state’s Open Public Meetings Act. The defendants settled the lawsuit last week.
In a summary judgement hearing, King County Superior Court Judge Janet Helson said she was troubled by both the actions of Black Diamond Mayor Carol Benson and former City Council majority Pat Pepper, Brian Weber, and Erika Morgan over the last two years concerning potential Open Public Meetings Act violations.
The new Black Diamond City Council wasted no time on settling in and testing the political waters. On their first meeting of the year, new Councilwomen Melissa Oglesbee and Erin Stout and returning Councilwomen Tamie Deady and Janie Edelman marched through a long list of agenda items, many of which reversed council policies and goals set over the last two years.
King County Communications Officer Kafia Hosh said putting the measure on the Feb. 13 ballot will cost the city around $5,000, but the full cost won’t be known until after the election.
The last Black Diamond City Council meeting of 2017 has come and gone, with the city wrapping up this year’s business quickly and efficiently. The biggest item on the Dec. 7 agenda was passing the 2018 budget, which was approved unanimously by the council.
Black Diamond police arrested the man, 38, on Dec. 7, and he was charged in the King County Superior Court on Dec. 12.
The meeting, held at the Black Diamond library, was a chance for voters to have “an opportunity to hear from both sides before they decide to sign,” the recall petition, Pepper wrote in an announcement for the meeting.
