City Hall Soap Opera Results In Lawsuit

June 4, 2010 by Leave a comment

Former Council Member Carol Stone Named In Lawsuit Against The City Of Sunnyside

The continuing fallout from the soap opera at Sunnyside City Hall has resulted in at least one lawsuit being filed in Yakima County Superior Court.  The City of Sunnyside, and Carol Stone personally, are defendants.  In the case of Carol Stone, her OUT OF SCOPE activities as a former Council Member will now be reviewed by the judicial system.

Legal action began in 2009, but was generally not reported by the local newspapers.  Now a lawsuit is pending, and the city’s legal firm and insurance company are responding.  At issue is a contract dispute, and also Carol Stone’s abuse of her position, interference with the former City Manager and city staff, and contributing to an alleged hostile work environment at City Hall.  The City Council has refused to hear the results of investigations into the alleged hostile work environment, despite two independent investigations being conducted.  The city’s insurance company began one investigation, the other was conducted through a contract with the city’s legal firm.

For those that responded to Carol Stone’s fundraising for her personal checking account (promoted by the Sunnyside Lion’s Club with the help of the Daily Sun News), keep in mind that Stone’s personal funds may instead be used to pay for legal fees as a result of her unethical behavior while previously serving as a City Council Member.

In an April 15, 2009 letter to former City Manager Eric Swansen (illegally fired under the last City Council), former City Attorney Mark Kunkler (who resigned in protest due to the unethical and illegal activities of Council Members), and former Council Member Carol Stone (who desperately tried to cling to her position through a failed recount of ballots), attorney for Allen Dosch (Plaintiff in the lawsuit) stated:

“It has come to light, without refute, that, in fact, Ms. Stone approached several department heads of the City and private individuals and specifically told them “not to do business with Allen Dosch”, or any of his businesses, specifically Precision AG….”

“My client has suffered significant damage to his reputation as a business owner, damage to his business, and severe emotional distress as a result of these statements.”

In 2009, a $1 million damage claim against the City was lodged by Dosch’s attorney.  In addition to the April 15, 2009 letter to Carol Stone, Dosch’s attorney also sent letters on July 1, 2009, and again on October 7, 2009.  In each instance, Carol Stone ignored attempts by Mr. Dosch and his attorney to resolve the dispute.

A lawsuit is now in Yakima County Superior Court, filed on April 16, 2010, by Allen Dosch, Elite Towing & Recovery, LLC., Sunnyside Towing, Inc., and Precision AG, Inc., as plaintiffs against the CITY OF SUNNYSIDE, and CAROL STONE.  The case number is 10-2-01153-5.  On behalf of Carrie Stone-Arroyo (who has requested additional research be conducted by this blog, and is also the daughter of Carol Stone), I would like to take a moment to thank the Research Division of this blog for providing this information.

During Carol Stone’s tenure on the City Council, she and her colleagues presided over a leadership “implosion” (as the Daily Sun News put it) at Sunnyside City Hall.  While Stone is no longer on the Council, there are longer-lasting effects of the damage that she and the prior City Council wrought on the employees and citizens of this community.  This is just the latest lawsuit, and more may follow.

Additional information:

Dosch’s 2009 Damage Claim Filed With The City Of Sunnyside dosch_claim_file_061609

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Filed under 2009 Election, Sunnyside Council, Uncategorized Tagged with , , , , , , , , , ,

City Hall Soap Opera Continues

June 3, 2010 by 1 Comment

Former Council Member’s Pattern Of Abusing Positions Continues In Community

The soap opera at City Hall continues on, in a saga which area newspapers are not covering very much.  Rest easy though, this blog’s Research Division is on the case, and is providing all the necessary information that we need to know.

This week we will get up to speed on how former Council Member Carol Stone’s OUT OF SCOPE activities are causing a hangover for the city’s attorney firm, and the city’s insurance company, which are now having to respond in court.

There has been a pattern of abusive and unethical behavior among Sunnyside’s City Hall power brokers, with Carol Stone being intimately involved.  While she lost her desperate bid to cling to power, by throwing down the “Benjamins” at the county auditor’s office, to have a hand recount of ballots performed; the end result was that the recount reinforced the voters’ desire to remove her from office.

Any potential City Manager that comes to Sunnyside will be entering a minefield that has already claimed the working lives of multiple City Managers, and senior city staff.  For the sake of the City, it is important for this story be covered.  Some of the key players in this scandal are still at work at City Hall.

The latest question of ethics regarding Carol Stone, involves her abusing her position as the Sunnyside Lion’s Club President, in order to raise funds for her personal checking account.  With assistance from the Daily Sun News, which promoted her fundraiser in an anonymously authored article, club members attempted to raise $91,000 for Carol Stone’s personal bills.

While I am not opposed to local charity groups raising funds to help out those in need, Carol Stone does not qualify for this kind of assistance.  How many other people has the Lion’s Club raised funds for that own not one, but two houses?  Isn’t this the same club that failed to raise $5,000 for July 4th fireworks last year?

Compliments of BLOGSUNNYSIDE RESEARCH DIVISION

In 2009 financial statements filed with the Public Disclosure Commission of Washington, Carol Stone reported owning the residence at 909 South 11th Street, and also 1208 Kearney Ave.  Both properties are in Sunnyside.  Each property shows an assessed value of “D”, on the form.  Thanks to the hard work of our Research Division, we can also tell you, dear reader, a dollar range of what these two properties are worth; based on Carol Stone’s own documentation.

BLOGSUNNYSIDE RESEARCH DIVISION DOCUMENT

The highlighted dollar code shows that each property is worth between $40,000 to $99,999.

The combined value of these two properties are an astounding $80,000 to $199,998!

How many other people with upwards of $200,000 of real estate holdings has the Lion’s Club had fundraisers for?  How many of those were President of the club?

Carol Stone’s daughter, Carrie Stone-Arroyo has criticized this blog for not doing enough research.  Out of sensitivity to her concerns, more information will be forthcoming.  However, on Carol Stone’s financial statements, she did not report any rental income, despite owning two houses.  Perhaps Carol Stone’s daughter could enlighten us as to why, but then, she vowed not to make any more postings to this “awful, negative” blog.

Unethical behavior is typically not confronted at Sunnyside City Hall.  It is time to seek a higher standard.  Although Carol Stone is no longer in elected office, her prior actions as a Council Member are receiving scrutiny in Yakima County Superior Court.  A detailed post on this court case is coming soon.

When we are dealing with people like this, it is often part of a larger pattern of behavior.  The unethical abuse of the Lion’s Club position, for personal gain, is just the latest example of larger character issues which have had a negative impact on employees at City Hall.

Additional Information:

Carol Stone’s 2009 Financial Affairs Statement Filed With PDC of Washington:

StoneCarol2009

Filed under 2009 Election, Sunnyside Budget Issues, Sunnyside Council, Uncategorized Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Guest Editorial: This Is My Only Post To This Awful, Negative Blog

May 17, 2010 by 1 Comment

Editor’s note: The following comment, which is being published as a guest editorial, was received in response to my earlier post: Lions Club Members Ask That Checks Be Sent To Its President.

My name is Carrie Stone-Arroyo from Sunnyside, WA. I am an active member of a well respected and wonderful international service organization called Sunnyside Lions Club. I would like to take this opportunity to educate you about what is a timeline…and give you some insight and constructive criticism for your lack of research and facts about the nonsense you wrote in the previous article. Let us begin: Election for City Council was 11/2009…yes, a recount was requested by the overwhelming support of the Community and Citizens that were not at ease with the closeness of the votes, they just wanted peace of mind and a legal confirmation of the count. This is a right of each candidate to request such and was paid for by contributions from Citizens and by Carol Stone, the total cost you can research so you can practice your researching skills. (HOMEWORK) Now, the timeline continues, Carol’s term for Sunnyside City Council was from November, 2005-December, 2009 due to the losing incumbent Bruce Ricks resigning prematurely after his defeat on election night 2005. Are you keeping up with the timeline?.. maybe you should stop reading this and pause, take a minute to jot down some notes so you have the correct information for your research homework that I am leaving you with…let’s continue, shall we? As you stated, with research from the Daily Sun News archives… “12/31/2009. Carol Stone was named as Sunnyside Lions Club President for 2009-2010″, Let me share with you Jason, Lions Club fiscal year (if you know what the word fiscal means” is July 1-June 30, now go back to your notes I hope you took when I gave you advise to take a little break to follow the accurate timeline, and you will see that Carol was our Lions Club President from July 1, 2009-June 30, 2010 and since she is an awesome member of our society, she was re-elected Lions Club President (Second Term)for the July 1, 2010-June 30, 2011…are you following this Jason, or shall you take another moment to reflect on these facts? Let’s continue, I’m ready…the timeline continues…Carol Stone did require a medical procedure which is normal for humans. And living creatures to have and yes, she does not have Medicaid, basic health, private insurance, yvfwc, etc…but what she does have is a family, friends and community that loves and respects her and will do fundraisers after fundraisers after fundraisers to help out in this time of need. I, as her proud daughter and supporter, will not slander her as she is a most positive role model and Citizen of this community and society in general. The fundraiser the Sunnyside Lions Club is promoting is the first of many that we are planning, that being said, it is our right to do so. I do not need to ask permission to you, Jason, or anyone else to help a family in need. I pray that one day, you are not in the same medical situation Carol is in and that you have the love and support that Carol does. My constructive criticism to you Jason is the following: Place your time and energy on positively and maybe you will be able to Serve the community, your family and the Lord and maybe you will learn how to research and report correct information and facts so I do not have to waste my time and energy again. This is my only post to this awful, negative blog. Good luck and peace be with you.

Citizen of Sunnyside,

Carrie Stone-Arroyo

Filed under 2009 Election, Sunnyside Council, Traditional Values, Uncategorized Tagged with , , , , , ,

Lions Club Members Ask That Checks Be Sent To Its President

May 8, 2010 by 2 Comments

The website for Lions Clubs International lists Carol Stone as its Sunnyside president.

Club members Melba Fujiura, Julia Hart quoted by Daily Sun News

A recent article in the Daily Sun News is about a fundraiser being planned for the president of the Sunnyside Lions Club  (The Daily Sun News published an article on December 31, 2009 stating she would be active as Lions Club president in 2010).  Lions Club members Melba Fujiura and Julia Hart were quoted in the article, which was published without a by-line in Friday’s edition of the Daily Sun News.

Fujiura is quoted as saying that former City Council Member Carol Stone has $91,000 of medical bills, and no insurance.

Hart was quoted as saying that doctors anticipate six months of recovery time following a recent surgery.

It is being suggested that donations be based on the cost of a meal.

The fundraiser is asking members of the community to make out checks to Carol Stone, personally.  They can be mailed to the Lions Club, or dropped off at Columbia Bank.

Carol Stone failed in her re-election campaign for City Council last year, which culminated in a request for a hand recount of ballots.  Stone paid several hundred dollars for the recount to be conducted.  Following the recount, the vote total remained unchanged.

Filed under 2009 Election, Sunnyside Council, Uncategorized Tagged with , , , , , , , ,

The Most Petty Thing Ever Heard At Council

December 30, 2009 by 14 Comments

Lame Duck Council Member Carol Stone Objects To Council Member-Elect Don Vlieger Attending Executive Session

Don Vlieger beat Carol Stone in the 2009 City Council election.  She could not accept defeat however, so she asked for a hand recount of ballots.  After paying a few hundred dollars for the recount, not a singe vote was changed.

In her last meeting on City Council (held Monday, December 28, 2009), Carol Stone objected to her voter approved replacement attending the Executive Session.  Don Vlieger officially takes office on January 1st.

This is the most petty thing I have ever heard at a Sunnyside City Council Meeting.

Take a listen to this sound clip of the Council debating Stone’s objection:

20091228 Stone Objects To Vlieger Attending Executive Session

The Council voted 5-2 to allow Mr. Vlieger to attend the Executive Session.  Only Theresa Hancock joined Carol Stone in trying to bar his participation.

Filed under 2009 Election, Sunnyside Council, Uncategorized Tagged with , , , , ,

Sunnyside Council Washes Hands Like Pontius Pilate

December 14, 2009 by 6 Comments

In a disappointing vote tonight, the Sunnyside City Council smacked down the notion of hearing evidence from investigators by a vote of 5-2.  Council Members Nick Paulakis and Mike Farmer voted in favor of receiving the reports of two independent investigators into the work environment at City Hall.

Mayor Garcia, Mayor Pro Tem Jim Restucci, Council Members Tom Gehlen, Theresa Hancock, and Carol Stone voted against hearing all the evidence.  Council Member-Elect Don Vlieger took the oath of office, but will not be seated on the Council until after the end of the year.

Like Roman authorities of old, that ceremoniously washed their hands when local authorities proposed putting Jesus to death, the Sunnyside City Council has acted out the role of Pontius Pilate by refusing to hear the evidence.

They appear to think it is not their role to inquire whether policies they enact are being carried out correctly.

I presented 94 petition signatures to the City Council at the meeting, asking for them to receive reports directly from the investigators.  Detective Chumley, President of the Sunnyside Police Officers’ Guild, and Josh Roe, President of the Sunnyside Firefighters’ Union signed on to the petition with their support.

Mr. Roe took a turn at the podium stating his belief that all investigative evidence should be considered before taking action against employees.  He pointed out the two employees on leave are not represented by a union, and further said that he felt like the Interim City Manager was exploiting this.  To support the idea of fairness for all labor at the City, he supported having the City Council listen to all the available evidence.

I would like to thank everyone that signed the petition, and those that came out to support Pam Sandifer and Terri Rhode being given a fair hearing.  The room was full at the meeting.

On a personal note, I do not have a historical record as being the biggest supporter of unions.  However, incidents like these are why government employees join unions.  Unlike a private company, in government operations, employees are sometimes the victims of abusive politicians and their appointees.  Decisions are made for political reasons, and not necessarily business ones.

The City does not have an Internet policy, nor an e-mail policy.  Yet, they want to discipline employees for what they said in e-mails.  If the Interim City Manager believes he can withstand the same scrutiny when applied to e-mails he has sent to other city employees, then there is nothing to be concerned about.  However, I have good reason to believe a double standard is being applied in this case.  Not being willing to listen to reports from multiple independent investigators should be a clue to those that are unconvinced.

A discipline/termination hearing is scheduled to be held tomorrow for long-time city employees Pam Sandifer and Terri Rhode.

Round and round we go…

Filed under Sunnyside Council, Uncategorized Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

City Council Can Call Off Kamikaze Mission

December 10, 2009 by 8 Comments

Kamikaze Pilot On Suicide Mission

Actions You Can Take To Help

  • Sign a petition, keep reading for a link to download form
  • Contact Council Members and ask them to listen to the independent investigators findings
  • Come to the next Council Meeting, Monday December 14, 2009, 7PM

The Sunnyside City Council can call off the Kamikaze mission to take out city employees.  All that is needed is for them to be willing to hear all of the evidence, so that smart decisions can be made regarding personnel.

If the standards of behavior being questioned in regards to Pam Sandifer and Terri Rhode are applied to all City employees, how many would we have left working at City Hall?

The Sandifer/Rhode situation would not have come to this point, were it not for the City’s negligence in handling the hostile work investigations to this point.  The Mayor can rectify this situation by calling for a Special Meeting Executive Session to hear what the investigators have to say.

As mentioned in a previous post, five City employees asked the mayor to see the investigation through to the end back in July of this year, in a letter:

letter-to-mayor-hostile-work-investigation

In addition, all it would take is for three Council Members to call for a Special Meeting, in order for one to take place.  Either the Mayor by himself, or three Council Members can make this happen.

Please download the petition asking Council to hear the investigators’ findings here:

petition sandifer rhode

I will present signed petitions to the Mayor at the next meeting of the City Council, Monday December 14, at 7:00PM.  Please sign the petition, and come to the meeting.

Contact your representatives and let them know you want them to hear what the investigators have to say before employees are disciplined or terminated.

City of Sunnyside Council Members

1. Mayor Pablo Garcia

Home #: 509-839-6068

Email address: pgarcia@ci.sunnyside.wa.us

2. Mike Farmer

Home #: 509-837-4698

Email address: mfarmer@ci.sunnyside.wa.us

3. Nick Paulakis

Home #: 509-837-8960

Email addres: npaulakis@ci.sunnyside.wa.us

4. Tom Gehlen

Home #: 509-839-2670

Email address: tgehlen@ci.sunnyside.wa.us

5. Theresa Hancock

Home #: 509-837-8550

Email address: thancock@ci.sunnyside.wa.us

6. Jim Restucci

Work #: 509-839-5595

Email address: jrestucci@ci.sunnyside.wa.us

7. Carol Stone

Home #: 509-837-6340

Email address: cstone@ci.sunnyside.wa.us

Filed under Sunnyside Council, Uncategorized Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

RECOUNT OF VLIEGER-STONE RACE CHANGES NOTHING

December 7, 2009 by Leave a comment

A hand recount of Sunnyside ballots did not change a single vote in the match up between Don Vlieger and Carol Stone.

I was one observer of the process, invited to attend on behalf of Council Member-Elect Don Vlieger.  Carol Stone was on hand to observe the recount as well, so all sides were represented.

Observers, like Carol Stone and I, were not allowed into the room with the ballots, but had to stay behind a plate-glass window in an observation area.  If a problem was seen, observers could tap on the glass to get the attention of the auditor’s staff.  They would then come out to see what the issue was.  During my time there, no one disturbed the recount process.

It was an interesting process to observe.  Due to restrictions on taking pictures, I will have to give a written account of what I saw.

Two tables were set up, with two employees of the auditor’s office at each table.  One table counted ballots for the Selah City Council race that required a recount, while the other table counted ballots for Sunnyside.

The two employees each counted the ballots by hand, and then compared their results.  If they matched, then the results were reported to Kathy Fisher, the Elections Manager for the County Auditor.

While this was going on, partisan representatives of the Election Board were seated in the room with the ballots, to observe the count as well.  One representative was from the Republican Party, and the other came from the Democrat Party.  Despite City Council elections being non-partisan, rules governing elections require partisan observers to be able to have access during all the counting of ballots.

In about one hour, all of the ballots from Sunnyside had been counted, with no difference from the initial machine recount being detected.  Corky Mattingly, the Yakima County Auditor, came out and announced there would be no change in the Sunnyside ballot count.

At this time, I left the recount, but found out later that there was no change in the ballot count for Selah either.

In a coincidence I found interesting, all of the auditor’s staff, as well as the partisan observers, were female.  It reminded me of how many years ago, only men could vote, or serve on juries.  Now, as we mark 100 years of women being able to vote in the state of Washington, it was all women conducting the recount.

They conducted the entire recount in a professional, and quick manner.

Congratulations to Council Member-Elect Don Vlieger!

Filed under 2009 Election, Sunnyside Council, Uncategorized Tagged with , , , , , , ,

Carol Stone’s Special World

November 26, 2009 by 1 Comment

Sunnyside Council Member Carol Stone must live in a “special world”, where she does not know anyone who did not vote for her.  She is also emulating tactics from Al Gore’s failed bid for the Presidency in 2000.

She was quoted by the Daily Sun News as saying:

“A lot of the citizens told me they don’t feel it’s possible that my opponent got that many votes,” she said. “They don’t know anyone who voted for him.”

By “him”, she is of course referring to Don Vlieger, who is the certified winner of the election in her district.

Now, Carol Stone has ponied up $344 to have the County Auditor do a hand recount of ballots.  She has inferred that the process of electing Council Members is somehow tainted.

As a candidate during this election cycle, I did not see this.  In fact, we had two incumbents lose, and one that was narrowly re-elected.  Carol Stone just can’t accept the fact that there is a large group of citizens that don’t like the job she has done on the Sunnyside City Council.  (Hundreds of voters cast ballots for her opponent.)

The incumbents did not fair well in any of the contested races.  It is clear there is much discontent with the Council in Sunnyside.  However, in Carol Stone’s special world, she does not seem to know anyone who voted for Don Vlieger.  Her “supporters” do not know anyone who did either.

This reminds me of what a liberal mainstream news reporter said of the 1972 landslide election of Nixon:

“I live in a rather special world. I only know one person who voted for Nixon. Where they are I don’t know…”

Carol Stone is proving that she is just as out of touch as the infamous reporter who did not know anyone that voted for Nixon.

Yes, it was a close election.  No Carol, you did not get a runaway victory over Don Vlieger.  He beat you, fair and square.  Your failure to recognize this diminishes you.  It also causes voters to doubt the integrity of the process, which saddens me.  Stop your whining, and pardon the pun, Stone-throwing; and deal with it.

The citizens you claim to care about will be better served by having a smooth transition into the next term of the City Council.

Filed under 2009 Election, Sunnyside Council, Uncategorized Tagged with , , , , , ,

Vlieger Continues To Edge Stone In Sunnyside District 3 Council Race

November 9, 2009 by Leave a comment

Don Vlieger continues to hold the edge over Carol Stone in the contest for Sunnyside City Council District 3.  He now leads Carol Stone by 10 votes.  Here are today’s updated numbers from the Yakima County Auditor:

  • City of Sunnyside; Council, District 3

Carol Stone 652 48.99%

Donavon (Don) Vlieger 662 49.74%

Write-In 17 1.28%

Filed under 2009 Election, Sunnyside Council Tagged with , , , , , ,

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