Lacey City Council votes 4-2 not to censure Kunkel, Greenstein over campaign sign removal

Lacey City Council on Thursday voted 4-2 not to censure council members Ed Kunkel and Lenny Greenstein after they were captured on video removing a campaign sign earlier this month.

Kunkel removed the sign, but Greenstein was with him at the time, according to the video that was ultimately shared with the Olympian. The sign that was removed belonged to District 5 Thurston County Commission candidate Emily Clouse. Clouse is in the August primary race, while there is no primary for the Lacey seats held by Kunkel and Greenstein.

Thursday’s work session was seconds from ending when council member Robin Vazquez made her motion, asking the council to consider censuring the two council members, citing the Washington state law that deals with removing or defacing campaign advertising, including political signs, and for them to publicly apologize and return the removed sign.

But the motion did not go down easily. Mayor Andy Ryder was quick to respond and repeated throughout the remainder of the meeting that it was not the council’s place to weigh in on a campaign issue.

Let the voters decide, he told the council.

“I’m very hesitant and I would not support a motion at this point,” Ryder said. “We’re creeping into an area where council has never been involved in before when it comes to elections. I do not feel comfortable with the council making a comment one way or the other when it has to do with elections.”

Vazquez agreed with him that campaign business should not be discussed, but the incident, she said, was bigger than that. Public trust and the image of the city has been damaged, she said.

“It would be inappropriate to say nothing,” she said. “To be silent on an issue like this that is so visible is passively suggesting that we are OK with it and that it’s fine.”

Ryder also asked if either Kunkel or Greenstein would like to comment. They both declined to comment at first, then Greenstein shared a few thoughts. Kunkel was largely silent during the discussion.

Greenstein pointed out that no council member has been censured in his 12 years on the council. As usual, there’s more to the story, he said.

“Basing this strictly on what the newspaper reported and what people said publicly about it seems a bit out of sorts,” he said. “It doesn’t seem like that’s how Democracy is done, but the council is free to do what they wish.”

On the question of an apology, Greenstein added: “I don’t know how anyone on this council knows whether an apology was given or not,” he said.

Council member Carolyn Cox said the sign removal incident “supersedes politics,” while colleague Michael Steadman, who is running against Clouse for the District 5 county commission seat, decided to abstain from voting because he didn’t want to appear to gain from voting either way.

Deputy Mayor Malcolm Miller also shared a few thoughts.

“I saw the footage and read the article,” he said. “I know the public will decide and I’m willing to leave it to them to decide who is going to represent them the next four years.”

Miller added: “I don’t want to damage or cripple our council by cutting voices off,” he said. “I often times think people beat themselves up more than we can beat them up and I know that has happened.”

Before they voted, there was the question of whether Kunkel and Greenstein could vote (they could), but Greenstein also asked the city attorney whether he should abstain from voting because of an apparent conflict of interest.

“The vote clearly affects me,” he said.

City Attorney Dave Schneider reflected a moment and then responded.

“By taking part in this vote, council members are not receiving a direct benefit one way or the other,” he said. “It’s a vote on whether a formal statement of disapproval is appropriate.”

But he did add that the situation was “unique.”

Here’s how they voted: Cox and Vazquez voted in favor of censure, while Greenstein, Kunkel, Miller and Ryder did not. Steadman abstained.