LIND, Wash. – The Lind Town Council voted to oust Mayor Paula Bell from her office on April 23. Bell argues that the vote is unenforceable and undemocratic.
A letter sent to council members on April 26 made it clear that Bell is still operating as mayor and argued that the three members who voted for her ouster abdicated their civic responsibilities.
“Your actions at last Tuesday’s town council meeting are an embarrassment and disgrace to the offices you hold and a violation of your oath of office. You have turned the local political process in Lind into a complete circus sideshow,” Bell’s legal team said.
The Adams County Sheriff’s Office continues to recognize Bell’s legal authority as mayor, and a recall vote to formally remove her from the office in September 2022 failed according to The Spokesman Review.
Bell’s legal team claims that members of the town council appeared at her office the day after the vote.
“Two of the council members showed up at Town Hall the very next morning demanding Mayor Bell vacate her office,” Bell’s legal team said.
Her current term elapses in 2026, and her lawyers reaffirmed her commitment to remaining in office and threatened a lawsuit if the council takes additional actions refuting Bell’s authority to govern.
“Ms. Bell is prepared to seek injunctive relief in a court of law,” Bell’s legal team said.
It is not clear how the relationship between the town council and the mayor’s office will function now that the council no longer recognizes Bell as mayor.
