Spokane Mayor Jim West Wants a Second Chance

“I don’t do that stuff anymore and probably shouldn’t have done it in the first place,” West, 54, told The Associated Press. “It’s an unusual episode in my life. I wish there was a rewind button. Basically, that’s what I’m asking the public for: a second chance.”

Forgiveness from the voters isn’t likely, said Lance LeLoup, a Washington State University political science professor.

Polls indicate 60 percent of registered city voters would vote to recall the once-powerful Republican state senate leader. (source)

People who know me know that I am a very forgiving person. Some people feel that I’m forgiving to a fault. I have a friend who used to be a gay basher. It’s not something I’m at liberty to talk about, but I’ve been heavily criticized in the gay community for this. People in the community have asked me how I can do this. In a word, it’s called COMPASSION.

I can even forgive Mayor West. It’s not the surfing for pornography on the job that I find hard to forgive. It’s ill advised and I believe the City of Spokane has ample reason to fire him just for that. And, I can see them being upset for offering a job to an 18 year old man, even though, as it turned out, the 18 year old never existed. That’s all very interesting to me. It reads like a tabloid.

But I can forgive all of that. We are all human after all. We have all done things that we have regretted. The one thing that I really have a problem with is the fact that time and time again Mayor West has championed very hurtful legislation against the gay community.

In more than 20 years in the Legislature, West had initiated legislation to outlaw sexual contact between consenting teenagers; supported a bill that would have barred gays and lesbians from working for schools, day care centers and some state agencies; voted to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman; and, as Senate majority leader, allowed a bill that would ban discrimination against gays and lesbians to die in committee without a hearing.

As Spokane mayor, West threatened to veto a measure extending benefits to domestic partners of city employees.

“It’s a pretty egregious case of hypocrisy,” Washington State University political scientist Lance LeLoup told The Associated Press. (source)

Even with this mess he’s in, never once (to my knowledge) has he apologized to the gay community for his hypocrisy. Even I can’t forgive him for that.

Story Update
December 6, 2005 - Spokane mayor recalled from office after Internet sex scandal

Mayor James E. West was recalled from office Tuesday in a special election prompted by news accounts that he offered City Hall jobs and perks to young men he met in a gay Internet chat room.

West, 54, a Republican former state legislator who voted against gay-friendly bills, must leave office when the election results are certified Dec. 16.

Just over half of the 110,000 ballots mailed to city voters were counted in the first batch of results, released Tuesday night. Of those, 38,718, or 65 percent, voted to recall West, while 20,681, or 35 percent, voted to retain him.

It was unclear how many more ballots would be received; they had to be postmarked by Tuesday to be counted.

“I said I’d abide by the will of the voters, obviously, and they’ve spoken,” West told The Associated Press. “I’m at peace with their decision – and disappointed.”