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Scandal forces Spokane mayor from public view

SPOKANE, Wash. - In the two months since a sex and abuse-of-office scandal broke, Spokane Mayor Jim West has rarely ventured out in public, leaving to others the ceremonial activities usually associated with his office.

After the Spokesman-Review raised allegations of past pedophilia and offering city jobs to young men he met in a gay chat room, West was no longer in demand for ribbon-cuttings and speeches that are normally part of the mayor's job.

The city's Web site contains a calendar of the mayor's public events. It was blank last week and again for the week of July 3, and a new poll shows a majority of Spokane residents want West to resign, something West says he won't do.

"It's put the community in a very awkward position, and that is unfortunate," said West's friend Tony Bonanzino, president of the Spokane Regional Chamber of Commerce. "We have so many functions the mayor should be involved with, and it's becoming very difficult."

West, 54, has lowered his public profile since May 5, when the newspaper began publishing a series of articles detailing chat room and e-mail conversations the mayor had with someone he thought was an 18-year-old male high school student, whom he encouraged to apply for an internship in his office. The e-mail recipient was, in fact, a computer expert hired by the newspaper.

Although West has not been charged with a crime, the FBI is in the initial phase of a public corruption investigation. And a Superior Court judge ruled last month that a recall petition may proceed to the signature-gathering stage, though West's lawyers are appealing that ruling to the state Supreme Court.

West, a Republican and former state Senate majority leader who steadfastly opposed gay-friendly legislation, resigned from numerous civic boards and commissions after his public "outing."

In tightly controlled news conferences, West has acknowledged having relations with adult males and apologized for "mistakes in judgment," but denied pedophilia or abusing his office.

His once-warm relationship with the City Council has been strained since its seven members voted unanimously to ask West to resign, council President Dennis Hession said.

"A number of people have asked someone to substitute for the mayor," Hession said.

"Council members have had to pick up the slack," council member Cherie Rodgers said. "He is showing up at ones he chooses. It's very awkward when he shows up at these functions."

KXLY-TV and the Inlander weekly newspaper reported results last Wednesday of a poll that found 61 percent of Spokane residents who responded want West to resign, while 31 percent do not want him to resign and 8 percent are undecided. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

Never the kind of politician to kiss babies or work large crowds, West is a veteran of more than 20 years in public office, including 17 in the state Legislature.

He was elected mayor in 2003. During his first 16 months in office, he was popular because he promoted a $117-million street bond issue to fix potholes and pushed economic development, safe streets and technology.

But after the newspaper began publishing the allegations of sexual misconduct and abuse of office, West quickly lost popularity.

The Chamber of Commerce, Spokane Regional Economic Development Council and the state Republican Party are among organizations that have called on West to resign, rather than put the community through a rancorous recall election.

West has rejected those calls, saying that he has done nothing illegal and that the voters who elected him should be the ones to decide whether he will continue to serve. Since lawyers hired by West have appealed the recall ballot language, an election likely won't occur before next year.

As part of an apparent strategy to rebuild his public image, the mayor recently granted interviews to Spokane television stations to attempt to deny the newspaper's allegations and explain his reasons for staying in office.

West contended in the television interviews that his relationships with the business groups and the council continue to be professional.

[Last modified July 5, 2005, 01:34:07]