James E. West (politician)
Encyclopedia
James Elton "Jim" West was an American politician. In 2005, while Mayor of Spokane, Washington
, he was the target of allegations of the sexual abuse of boys twenty years earlier. These allegations became public after West became a target of a sting operation
conducted by his hometown newspaper, the Spokesman Review. Some journalists and academics criticized the paper for what they saw as a form of entrapment. West admitted engaging in homosexual behavior with adults, despite an earlier record of supporting "anti-gay" legislation. Though never charged, he was removed from office by recall in 2005. The Federal Bureau of Investigation
eventually closed its investigation and took no action for lack of evidence.
after high school and graduated from Gonzaga University
with a degree in Criminal Justice in 1978.
West was good friends with David D. Hahn and both were officers with the Spokane Sheriff's Department. They also worked together as troop leaders with the Boy Scouts of America
. In 1981, Hahn committed suicide after charges of his involvement in the sexual abuse of boys became public.
representing the 6th legislative district. He was elected to the Washington State Senate
in 1986 serving until his resignation to become Mayor of Spokane, Washington, in 2003. In the Senate West held the positions of Chairman of the Committee on Health, Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee and Majority Leader
. During his years in the legislature, West developed a record as an opponent of homosexual rights. He supported several "anti-gay" bills, including one that would have banned gays and lesbians from working in schools and day care centers. He unsuccessfully proposed a law banning all sexual activity among unmarried persons under the age of 18. In 1995, when West was a state senator, he advocated the impeachment
of Gov. Mike Lowry
for alleged sexual harassment
.
He served as mayor of Spokane from 2003 to 2005.
The newspaper nevertheless targeted West in a sting operation. In 2004, reporter Morlin received a tip about West from a source that has never been publicly identified. The source claimed that the real identity of the persona on the gay.com
website named "Cobra82" was in fact mayor West. The Spokesman Review then hired a professional investigator to create a false online persona on Gay.com named "Motobrock." This tactic was then used by the newspaper to arrange a meeting between the two. When Jim West turned up for the meeting on a Spokane golf course the newspaper editor was also present and correctly concluded that Cobra82 was the mayor.
In 2005, sex-abuse charges against West surfaced in the Spokesman Review. Robert J. Galliher claimed that West had committed sexual abuse against him while a member of West's Boy Scout troop. These charges about events two decades old could not be confirmed by other witnesses and Galliher's long criminal record tended to discredit him as well. West called the molestation allegations "flat lies," but admitted to having private online relationships in the past year through the Gay.com website. It was alleged that he offered unpaid internships to young gay men, none under the age of 18, though some were just graduating from high school. West denied charges that he had sought out minors.
Calls for his resignation spread. West defended himself on the Today Show on May 30, 2005. He explained his support for laws unfavorable to gays in this way: "If someone hires you to paint their house red, then you paint it red. Even if you think it would look better green." In a Spokane City Council meeting immediately afterward, a resolution requesting that he step down passed unanimously (7–0), yet West announced he intended to continue on as Mayor.
On June 2, the Spokane County Republican Party, Washington State Republican Party, and Spokane County Democratic Chairwoman Katie Kirking called for West's resignation. The FBI
conducted its own investigation and a special city commission was set up to investigate and determine if any laws or policies had been broken In early August, 2005, the FBI searched West's home and seized his personal computers as part of its public corruption investigation.
Organizers of a recall gathered a sufficient number of signatures, and a special mail-in election was held on December 6, 2005, to determine whether West would remain in office. West was recalled by the voters with 65% in favor of ousting him to 35% in favor of keeping him as mayor. His term ended on December 16, 2005, the day the final votes were certified by the Spokane County
Auditor's office. West's ouster marked the first time in the history of Spokane that a sitting mayor was voted out of office.
On February 16, 2006 the Federal Bureau of Investigation issued its report closing its investigation of West. In the FBI report, Attorney Mark Bartlett said, "We did not find facts that would justify initiating federal criminal charges."
Ginger Marshall said this about Jim West: "He cared about Spokane. He cared about the people. He cared about the infrastructure, that Spokane be and continue to be a vibrant city. He always wanted more for Spokane. He served Spokane from the time he graduated college. He started his career as a deputy sheriff and was a City Council member. Was a member of the House of Representatives and then the State Senate. He had ambitions to do good things for Spokane, and it grew into ambitions for doing good work for the state as a whole."
in his last TV interview that during his tenure in the state legislature he only regretted one vote, for a bill that would have banned gays from working in schools and day-care centers.
West was diagnosed with colon cancer
in 2003. By the early fall of 2005 West's isolation from the Spokane community was nearly complete. He had only a few friends and family to turn to for support during his illness. He joined the conservative Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church
of Spokane led by Pastor Lonnie Mitchell. He received support there and attended services regularly until his death from complications from cancer on July 22, 2006.
Spokane, Washington
Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
, he was the target of allegations of the sexual abuse of boys twenty years earlier. These allegations became public after West became a target of a sting operation
Sting operation
In law enforcement, a sting operation is a deceptive operation designed to catch a person committing a crime. A typical sting will have a law-enforcement officer or cooperative member of the public play a role as criminal partner or potential victim and go along with a suspect's actions to gather...
conducted by his hometown newspaper, the Spokesman Review. Some journalists and academics criticized the paper for what they saw as a form of entrapment. West admitted engaging in homosexual behavior with adults, despite an earlier record of supporting "anti-gay" legislation. Though never charged, he was removed from office by recall in 2005. The Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
eventually closed its investigation and took no action for lack of evidence.
Early years
West was born in Oregon and raised in Spokane, Washington. He served in the U.S. ArmyUnited States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
after high school and graduated from Gonzaga University
Gonzaga University
Gonzaga University is a private Roman Catholic university located in Spokane, Washington, United States. Founded in 1887 by the Society of Jesus, it is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities and is named after the young Jesuit saint, Aloysius Gonzaga...
with a degree in Criminal Justice in 1978.
West was good friends with David D. Hahn and both were officers with the Spokane Sheriff's Department. They also worked together as troop leaders with the Boy Scouts of America
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
. In 1981, Hahn committed suicide after charges of his involvement in the sexual abuse of boys became public.
Legislative career
In 1982, West was elected to the Washington State House of Representatives as a RepublicanRepublican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
representing the 6th legislative district. He was elected to the Washington State Senate
Washington State Senate
The Washington State Senate is the upper house of the Washington State Legislature. The body consists of 49 senators, each representing a district with a population of nearly 120,000. The State Senate meets at the Legislative Building in Olympia....
in 1986 serving until his resignation to become Mayor of Spokane, Washington, in 2003. In the Senate West held the positions of Chairman of the Committee on Health, Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee and Majority Leader
Majority leader
In U.S. politics, the majority floor leader is a partisan position in a legislative body.In the federal Congress, the role differs slightly in the two houses. In the House of Representatives, which chooses its own presiding officer, the leader of the majority party is elected the Speaker of the...
. During his years in the legislature, West developed a record as an opponent of homosexual rights. He supported several "anti-gay" bills, including one that would have banned gays and lesbians from working in schools and day care centers. He unsuccessfully proposed a law banning all sexual activity among unmarried persons under the age of 18. In 1995, when West was a state senator, he advocated the impeachment
Impeachment
Impeachment is a formal process in which an official is accused of unlawful activity, the outcome of which, depending on the country, may include the removal of that official from office as well as other punishment....
of Gov. Mike Lowry
Mike Lowry
Michael Edward "Mike" Lowry served as the 20th Governor of the U.S. state of Washington from 1993 to 1997. Lowry is a Democrat.Lowry was born and raised in St. John, Washington, and graduated from Washington State University in 1962...
for alleged sexual harassment
Sexual harassment
Sexual harassment, is intimidation, bullying or coercion of a sexual nature, or the unwelcome or inappropriate promise of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. In some contexts or circumstances, sexual harassment is illegal. It includes a range of behavior from seemingly mild transgressions and...
.
He served as mayor of Spokane from 2003 to 2005.
Investigation
In June, 2003, under editor Steven A. Smith, the Spokesman Review, Spokane's only daily newspaper, began a series of investigative reports into a series of sexual abuse incidents that had occurred in Spokane during the 1970s and 1980s, but went unreported at the time. Reporter Bill Morlin worked on the story for more than a year but failed to find a link between West and the crimes committed by his friend Hahn twenty years earlier.The newspaper nevertheless targeted West in a sting operation. In 2004, reporter Morlin received a tip about West from a source that has never been publicly identified. The source claimed that the real identity of the persona on the gay.com
Gay.com
gay.com is a chat, personals, and social networking website catering to the LGBT community. The site is a digital brand of Here Media Inc. In addition to community features, the site features LGBT-related news and features. As of September 2005, San Jose Mercury News ranked gay.com as the most...
website named "Cobra82" was in fact mayor West. The Spokesman Review then hired a professional investigator to create a false online persona on Gay.com named "Motobrock." This tactic was then used by the newspaper to arrange a meeting between the two. When Jim West turned up for the meeting on a Spokane golf course the newspaper editor was also present and correctly concluded that Cobra82 was the mayor.
In 2005, sex-abuse charges against West surfaced in the Spokesman Review. Robert J. Galliher claimed that West had committed sexual abuse against him while a member of West's Boy Scout troop. These charges about events two decades old could not be confirmed by other witnesses and Galliher's long criminal record tended to discredit him as well. West called the molestation allegations "flat lies," but admitted to having private online relationships in the past year through the Gay.com website. It was alleged that he offered unpaid internships to young gay men, none under the age of 18, though some were just graduating from high school. West denied charges that he had sought out minors.
Calls for his resignation spread. West defended himself on the Today Show on May 30, 2005. He explained his support for laws unfavorable to gays in this way: "If someone hires you to paint their house red, then you paint it red. Even if you think it would look better green." In a Spokane City Council meeting immediately afterward, a resolution requesting that he step down passed unanimously (7–0), yet West announced he intended to continue on as Mayor.
On June 2, the Spokane County Republican Party, Washington State Republican Party, and Spokane County Democratic Chairwoman Katie Kirking called for West's resignation. The FBI
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
conducted its own investigation and a special city commission was set up to investigate and determine if any laws or policies had been broken In early August, 2005, the FBI searched West's home and seized his personal computers as part of its public corruption investigation.
Organizers of a recall gathered a sufficient number of signatures, and a special mail-in election was held on December 6, 2005, to determine whether West would remain in office. West was recalled by the voters with 65% in favor of ousting him to 35% in favor of keeping him as mayor. His term ended on December 16, 2005, the day the final votes were certified by the Spokane County
Spokane County, Washington
Spokane County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington, named after the Spokane tribe. As of the 2010 census the population was 471,221, making it the fourth most populous county in Washington state. The largest city and county seat is Spokane, the second largest city in the state,...
Auditor's office. West's ouster marked the first time in the history of Spokane that a sitting mayor was voted out of office.
On February 16, 2006 the Federal Bureau of Investigation issued its report closing its investigation of West. In the FBI report, Attorney Mark Bartlett said, "We did not find facts that would justify initiating federal criminal charges."
Personal life
Jim West proposed to Ginger Marshall from the Floor of the Washington State Senate. They were married for five years.Ginger Marshall said this about Jim West: "He cared about Spokane. He cared about the people. He cared about the infrastructure, that Spokane be and continue to be a vibrant city. He always wanted more for Spokane. He served Spokane from the time he graduated college. He started his career as a deputy sheriff and was a City Council member. Was a member of the House of Representatives and then the State Senate. He had ambitions to do good things for Spokane, and it grew into ambitions for doing good work for the state as a whole."
Later years
In the final days of his life, West was mulling over another opportunity to run for office. He also told KREMKREM-TV
KREM is the CBS television station affiliate serving the Spokane, Washington–Coeur d'Alene, Idaho market. Its digital signal is seen on UHF channel 20. The station is owned and operated by the Belo Corporation, and is sister station with KSKN-TV, The CW affiliate in the market. The two...
in his last TV interview that during his tenure in the state legislature he only regretted one vote, for a bill that would have banned gays from working in schools and day-care centers.
West was diagnosed with colon cancer
Colorectal cancer
Colorectal cancer, commonly known as bowel cancer, is a cancer caused by uncontrolled cell growth , in the colon, rectum, or vermiform appendix. Colorectal cancer is clinically distinct from anal cancer, which affects the anus....
in 2003. By the early fall of 2005 West's isolation from the Spokane community was nearly complete. He had only a few friends and family to turn to for support during his illness. He joined the conservative Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church
African Methodist Episcopal Church
The African Methodist Episcopal Church, usually called the A.M.E. Church, is a predominantly African American Methodist denomination based in the United States. It was founded by the Rev. Richard Allen in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1816 from several black Methodist congregations in the...
of Spokane led by Pastor Lonnie Mitchell. He received support there and attended services regularly until his death from complications from cancer on July 22, 2006.
Election results
List of votes from all of West's elections.| Year | Office/Issue | Candidate | Party | City | Outside | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Recall Election For | 40014 | ||||
| 2005 | Recall Election Against | 21518 | ||||
| 2003 | Mayor of Spokane | Jim West | 26577 | |||
| 2003 | Mayor of Spokane | Tom Grant | 23688 | |||
| 2002 | State Senate 6 | Jim West | Republican | 14364 | 9657 | 24021 |
| 2002 | State Senate 6 | Laurie Dolan | Democrat | 14838 | 7878 | 22716 |
| 1998 | State Senate 6 | Jim West | Republican | 15921 | 5680 | 21601 |
| 1998 | State Senate 6 | Judy Personett | Democrat | 15691 | 4260 | 19951 |
| 1994 | State Senate 6 | Jim West (Incumbent) | Republican | 23871 | 7858 | 31729 |
| 1994 | State Senate 6 | Andy Kelly | Democrat | 11245 | 2769 | 14014 |
| 1990 | State Senate 6 | Jim West (Incumbent) | Republican | 10117 | 5363 | 15480 |
| 1990 | State Senate 6 | Jan Polek | Democrat | 8920 | 4293 | 13213 |
| 1986 | State Senate 6 | Jim West (Incumbent) | Republican | 9584 | 4780 | 14364 |
| 1986 | State Senate 6 | Tony Anderson | Democrat | 9379 | 4426 | 13805 |
| 1984 | Rep 6-1 | Jim West (Incumbent) | Republican | 14232 | 7286 | 21518 |
| 1984 | Rep 6-1 | Joseph Lynch | Democrat | 10050 | 5147 | 15197 |
| 1982 | Rep 6-1 | Jim West (Incumbent) | Republican | 10285 | 4355 | 14640 |
| 1982 | Rep 6-1 | Mary Springer | Democrat | 8686 | 4856 | 13542 |
| 1979 | Council 3 | Jim West | 20823 | |||
| 1979 | Council 3 | Marilyn M Stanton | 15917 | |||
| 1978 | Sheriff | Larry V Erickson | Democrat | 31894 | 23116 | 55010 |
| 1978 | Sheriff | Jim West | Republican | 16381 | 13729 | 30110 |
| 1978 | Sheriff | Alfred J Teeples | Independent | 5027 | 4896 | 9923 |