Kennewick Council Member Steve Young Facing Recall Petition

According to the Benton County Auditor's office, a recall petition has been filed to remove Kennewick Council member and former Mayor Steve Young from office. Young has served on the council for some time in various positions, due to Kennewick's city governmental structure, the Mayoral position itself is largely ceremonial, but he is on the council. His tenure on the council runs through 2019 til the next election cycle.

Brenda Chilton, County Auditor, confirmed Friday the petition was submitted August 1st, and has worked it's way through the regular legal channels. By statute, it has to go through the Prosecuting Attorney and other channels, and is now in the hands of the Benton County Superior Court.

They will decide if it has merit to begin such proceedings. The petition, according to court documents received by Newstalk870, is signed by four Kennewick residents, including James E. Wade, Charles Tamborello, and Vincent L. Rundhaug.  Much of their petition contains similar 'evidence' of alleged misconduct that was filed by Roger Lenk, a Pasco resident, in 2017. Lenk alleged that Young performed city business while working for his Hanford job with Mission Support Alliance. Lenk had asked Benton County to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate this and other allegations.

In the most recent petition, which is over 220 pages long, the petitioners claim Young has committed at least six instances of misconduct. They include various alleged violations of RCW (revised code of Washington 29A.56) concerning public officials.

The petition claims in June 2014 while working for the campaign to elect Dan Newhouse, Young solicited a political contribution from a subordinate local, county or state worker in the same agency, in this case Kennewick City Manager Marie Mosely.

They also claim Young allegedly used his position with the city to obtain opportunities to testify at Congressional Hearings for the purpose of obtaining more favorable funding for his employer, MSA. They also alleged Young used his position with the City to obtain "special privileges" for himself with MSA that were not available to other such workers in that company. In all, six accusations are made in the filing, they are contained in the court documents filed at the Auditor's office.

The petitioners are asking the court to certify their petition "with all due speed."  It is now up to the court to decide if this action will proceed.