US Justice Department Sends Washam et al to Anti-Discrimination Training

Add the United States Justice Department to the list of people who probably won’t be showing up at a re-elect Dale Washam function any time soon. Pierce County Assessor-Treasurer Dale Washam’s tab with the tax payers is growing, as is the list of findings against him. The latest news includes a $400,000 settlement between Pierce County and Sally Barnes, a former Administrative Officer in the Assessor-Treasurer office.

A consent decree agreed to between Pierce County and the U.S. Justice Department considers the particular issue of Ms. Barnes’ complaints settled with the $400,000 settlement. It also includes requirements that the County revise its anti-discrimination policies, and provide training on those policies to all employees. Retaliation and discrimination are the watchwords here.

The TNT makes no secret of their feelings about Washam, with an entire page dedicated to stories and details of Washam’s various … shenanigans, and an editorial this week titled “Yet more reason to show Dale Washam the door.”

On the other hand, the Tacoma Weekly
last week ran a story about the $400,000 settlement and managed to do so without once mentioning Washam. That’s an impressive feat of journalistic dexterity.

We’re trying to walk a fine line. It’s hard to ignore when an elected professional manager costs their organization more than a million dollars in settlements and his office is found to violate the civil rights of its employees … But we won’t tell you what to think.

So, is the consent decree as toothless as it sounds? Is election or recall the only recourse?