GOLDENDALE — It was two against one again at the Klickitat County Commissioners meeting on Oct. 15. The meeting agenda originally showed the meeting concluding before noon with an executive session to consult with the Prosecuting attorney.
Dan Christopher
Klickitat Co. Board of Commissioners
But Commissioner Jacob Anderson asked for a post-lunch session to be added. Following a discussion on taxes, he made this announcement: “Based on the allegations presented to the legislative authority, and after consulting with legal counsel, at this time I will move that Dan Christopher was not acting in his official duties related to the alleged actions outlined in the tort notice of claim. Nor was he acting in good faith. Therefore the county should deny coverage at taxpayer expense.”
Anderson was referring to a document sent earlier to the county, notifying them that Mark Jobe, husband of Klickitat County Auditor Heather Jobe, had filed a tort action against Christoper for intimidation of his free speech and other items in his official capacity as commissioner.
Chair Lori Zoller moved to second Anderson’s motion, and it passed by two votes.
If Klickitat County’s insurance pool were to honor that vote, it would mean Christoper would have to defend against the lawsuit out of his own pocket.
Christoper responded, “It is the insurance company that ultimately will handle this and decide whether there was a proper investigation. Because I will notify you now, so you can’t say you didn’t know, the prosecutor never asked me any questions, never asked for any documents. So if you make an action based on insufficient research, you might be opening the county up to more litigation.”
Responding to a request for further comment later that day, Christopher said he had received a call from Heather Jobe threatening to “destroy” him in June. (The auditor subsequently confirmed making that comment, saying it was in response to Christopher’s assertion that he had “dirt” on her husband and implying he would use it against the Jobes. “It was the mama bear in me wanting to protect my family,” she said.) Prosecuting Attorney David Quesnel then sent him an email just hours after the filing of the tort claim, making what Christopher described as “false allegations” in denying him insurance coverage and written in such a way that it was designed to be a story in next week’s Goldendale Sentinel.
“What we witnessed today,” Christopher concluded, “was dirty politics to make me look guilty in the court of public opinion on the week that ballots get mailed from Ms. Jobe’s office in order to influence the outcome of an election. In the end, I have no fear that I will be vindicated of wrongdoing but not before the dirty politics being played changes the outcome of an election and slanders my good name.”
Earlier, commissioners heard a very brief statement from Human Resources Director Robb Van Cleave on the jail situation. He said that if all goes well, the background check on the candidate for jail administrator would be completed by the end of October and that the administrator could start as soon as mid-November.
They also had a discussion with Emergency Services Director Jeff King, who told them Forest Service officials were allowed to conduct prescribed burns even during times when the county had instituted a burn ban. Last week’s prescribed burn near Catherine Creek escaped containment and spread to 240 acres.
Under the consent agenda, commissioners approved:
• The appointment of Donald Williams to the Veterans Advisory Board.
• A public hearing Oct. 29 at 1 p.m. for the moratoriums on battery energy storage systems (BESS).
• Final acceptance with Olympic Roofing, LLC, for the Klickitat County Jail re-roofing project.
• A chronic disease and chronic pain self-management programs agreement with Southwest Washington Regional Health Alliance (SWACH) for chronic disease self-management courses offered on Zoom to benefit Klickitat County Seniors.
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