INSIDE THE CITY

Illustrating our Mission, Vision, or Beliefs in Action.

I seldom get to write about the City Attorney, but I’m going to this time. Karen Kirkpatrick has served as the attorney since 2006. Attorneys like to stay low profile; their primary task is to keep the rest of us out of trouble. Most of the time, that involves advising and guiding us for meetings and on ordinances, official actions, contracts, etc. Sometimes, it turns out that people and organizations take us to court. Karen and our litigation partners have a vital part in that response. To be clear, litigation risk happens across the organization and includes sewer issues, car accidents, police and fire, sidewalks and crosswalks, land use decisions, and even other jurisdictions that want a share of the City utility revenue.

A recent example is the Hopkins Ditch District which attempted to claim a portion of City revenue to support District activities. Karen and her team negotiated a settlement that settles the Open Public Meeting Act claims, pays attorneys’ fees, and prevents the District from including properties in the City in the District, now or in the future.

Other examples of good work representing Tumwater are the dismissal of Tumwater from a case against Join Animal Services, settlement of litigation coming from land acquisition for the Trosper/Capitol Project, representing the City and joining several labor organizations in complex litigation involving the release of personal information about employees at the City and other jurisdictions, and representation of the City, City of Seattle, and others against the FCC before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The most recent case involves a 2020 incident that happened in the Tumwater Fred Meyer store, where Tumwater Police responded and issued a Trespass Warning to someone at the store’s request. The case was dismissed in Federal District Court, but we recently learned that decision was also appealed.

Thank you Karen, Sharleen, and your team for working to keep us out of trouble and help us when we are.

UPDATE: City Administrator Recruitment

The recruitment for a new City Administrator continues. The interview pool has been narrowed and interviews will happen on the 14th and 18th of April. Additional details will be coming out about the schedule which will include a tour of the City, panel interviews, and a public reception. Information about the candidates will be released prior to the interviews.