SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. – Spokane Valley City officials have warned Councilman Al Merkel to stay out of Spokane Valley City Hall due to an investigation into his behavior towards city staff.
According to our partners at The Spokesman-Review, city officials have opted to open an investigation into Merkel after complaints were brought to the city administration’s attention.
“The nature of these complaints require investigation, and so the City will be engaging a neutral outside investigator to provide the City and the Council with the facts surrounding the allegations,” Hohman wrote to The Spokesman-Review.
City Manager John Hohman told The Spokesman-Review that the city has received complaints regarding Merkel’s interactions with city staff members and that an outside law firm will handle the investigation.
The Spokesman-Review said while the investigation is going on, city officials have requested that Merkel only enter City Hall if it is for weekly council meetings on Tuesday evenings.
Merkel told The Spokesman-Review he does not plan to comply with the request.
The Spokesman-Review reached out to Deputy Mayor Tim Hattenburg where he said, “I really don’t know any of the particulars,” Hattenburg said to The Spokesman-Review. “Since he’s been elected and sworn in, he’s been pretty demanding of the staff, and not in a professional way.”
According to The Spokesman-Review, Merkel has had a history of testy arguments with other council members during public meetings and problems with social media activity on Nextdoor that was found in violation of city policy and recently violated city ordinance regarding unlicensed vehicles.
Spokane Valley City Councilman Rod Higgins told The Spokesman-Review, that Merkel can be “boisterous, domineering and has a tendency to stretch the truth.”
He told The Spokesman-Review that he was not surprised to hear complaints had been filed against him.
“Right now he’s the proverbial bull in the china shop, banging around and making noise to get a reaction, or get attention,” Higgins said to The Spokesman-Review.
