Bloglander

Former Spokane City Council President Joe Shogan has filed an ethics complaint against Mayor David Condon alleging he lied about his knowledge of accusations of misconduct by former Police Chief Frank Straub, who was ousted from his position in September over after complaints of his brash leadership style.

“Here’s the mayor lying on two subjects,” Shogan tells the Inlander. “There is a prohibition in the code of ethics against moral turpitude, and David Condon represents all the citizens, not just himself, and he has an obligation to be honest with what he tells the public and he hasn’t.”

The complaint, filed Dec. 2, states that Condon claimed several times in September that he had only heard of Straub’s alleged misconduct in the “last several weeks.” The complaint further states that Condon was in fact “aware of Extremely Serious Misconduct – Sexual Harassment,” referencing recent revelations that the mayor knew of accusations by former police spokesperson Monique Cotton that she was sexually harassed by Straub.

The complaint also mentions how Condon responded with a “no” when asked if if he was aware of any sexual harassment complaints lodged against Straub.

Shogan says the mayor needs to have the trust of the public, especially when he’s warning them of potential wind storms or making claims about the effectiveness of certain policies.

“Credibility is tough to build,” he says “And it’s extremely difficult to regain, and I think he’s lost credibility.”

Shogan says he would like to see Condon placed under oath and asked questions about what happened, which he says City Council has the power to do. On Monday, the council sent the mayor a list of questions. But Shogan says this approach in inadequate.

“I’m a lawyer,” says Shogan. “You get a written question, you can twist it anyway up or down, and he has two weeks to answer.”

Jamie Pendleton, local antagonist and owner of the trouble Daiquiri Factory, has also filed a similar complaint.

We’ll update this post with a response from the mayor.