SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. — Spokane Valley Councilman Al Merkel will stay on the council after a months-long investigation into misconduct allegations.
The city completed the independent investigation into the councilman's conduct on Thursday morning.
Investigators interviewed 22 people before deciding Councilmember Merkel has a pattern of disrespectful and intimidating behavior toward city staff. Ultimately, he was cleared of any legal wrongdoing.
Merkel held a news conference on Thursday to dispute the findings and called them false. The city said it's doing the investigation to protect employees.
This started after a Spokane Valley City Council meeting on March 5. Spokane Valley City Manager John Hohman read a statement announcing the investigation. Multiple staff members reported that Merkel made them fearful and intimidated while working at city hall.
The report includes witness reports of Merkel raising his voice and calling one person incompetent. Witnesses also said Merkel told staff they didn't know what they were doing, barged into staff members' offices unannounced and even told staff he was there to "cause trouble".
They described Merkel as ill-tempered and extremely disruptive.
KREM 2 spoke with Merkel the day the investigation was announced. He said he had no idea what the complaints could be about.
The investigator said Merkel violated the city's governance manual with this pattern of hostile and disrespectful behavior.
"So I have taken the steps of providing a separate workspace for Council Member Merkel. This way for most city employees, he will continue to have all the resources that the other council members have to conduct his duties," said Spokane Valley City Manager John Homan.
Merkel said this investigation was a waste of time and money, even going as far as calling it a political hit job. He claimed he's had to move his office to the basement, has to use a back door to get into the building and has his own bathroom.
Merkel said he feels segregated from the rest of the council and it's unfair to the people who voted for him.
"It is clearer than ever that this entire investigation has been nothing more than an ineffective council member and city bureaucrat, who had been plotting since before I came to office, to fight my valid questions about how the city conducts business with a conspiracy to besmirch me in order to protect their jobs, and elected positions," said Merkel.
Both Merkel and Hohman did agree on one thing. They're ready to get back to city business.
KREM 2 also asked the city of Spokane Valley how much this independent investigation cost taxpayers. They say they're waiting for the invoice.
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