A visiting Cowlitz County judge will hear Clark County Councilor Tom Mielke’s recall petitions against a majority of the council on July 29.
Mielke, a Republican, is trying to recall Chair Marc Boldt, no party preference, and Republicans Jeanne Stewart and Julie Olson, alleging various wrongdoing by the three. Mielke and Republican Councilor David Madore have consistently found themselves on the losing end of 3-2 votes since the council was expanded from three to five members in January.
The court hearing is set for 9 a.m. before Cowlitz County Superior Court Judge Stephen M. Warning in a Clark County Superior courtroom. The matter is being heard by Warning to avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest with Clark County judges. Likewise, the Clark County council approved hiring an outside attorney to represent the three councilors, because Mielke accuses the Clark County Prosecutor’s Office of having a hand in his allegations.
Mielke filed the three recall petitions last month. He alleged that Boldt, Stewart and Olson violated the Open Public Meetings Act, illegally granted The Columbian a contract as the county’s official newspaper of record, prevented Mielke from accessing the county’s attorneys and allowed County Manager Mark McCauley to dissolve the Department of Environmental Services even though it had been budgeted for this year.
