SPOKANE, Wash. – Spokane Councilman Al Merkel faces another investigation for misconduct and violating city regulations.
The City of Spokane Valley said that Councilwoman Jessica Yaeger formally complained about Merkel’s behavior specifically referring to the use of his private Nextdoor account for city use.
Yaeger claims that this violates protocols that require the use of an official city council account for all city-related social media communications.
Beyond the claims of violating city regulations, Yaeger brought to the city’s attention that she observed Merkel deleting posts and blocking specific users from his private account and special groups.
“It is our duty to ensure that ALL citizens have access to his account and records are retained appropriately according to state statute. Mr. Merkel touts transparency in government yet chooses not to comply. I’m tired of all of his excuses. We are trained on this and our oath of office requires adherence to the law in this manner,” said councilwoman Yaeger.
Claiming that Merkel’s actions pose a risk for the city due to the lack of transparency and public engagement.
“This blatant disregard for the rules sets the Spokane Valley up for a lawsuit and we cannot afford that, especially with the financial strains that we are under. The citizens of Spokane Valley deserve better than this. We have issues that need to be addressed for the public; his behavior and tactics put us behind and costs the citizens money.” said Yaeger.
This follows the claims of a private investigator who claimed he had engaged in possible illegal and inappropriate conduct.
We have reached out to Al Merkel on the new investigation, to which he was unaware of it and would take some time to look into it.
