A Thurston County resident has filed a petition to recall Thurston County Commissioner Emily Clouse for “acts of misfeasance and/or malfeasance and for violations of her oath of office.”
The petition, filed Thursday to the Thurston County Auditor’s Office by Arthur West, comes after the county released the results of a monthslong investigation into her personal and professional aide. The aide, who was fired by Clouse this summer, has since filed a lawsuit against Thurston County.
On Monday, The Chronicle contacted a lawyer representing Clouse seeking comment on the petition. In a lengthy Facebook post last week, Clouse wrote “while the findings confirm that the allegations against me were largely unsubstantiated, I deeply regret my decision to be in a personal relationship with a County employee that started the investigation and affected our community.”
“I acknowledge the Board’s recommendations and am committed to a higher level of professionalism and reflection as I move forward,” Clouse wrote. “I am glad to put this behind me and get back to representing our county on the many important boards and committees I am pleased to serve on.”
Clouse was reappointed to her board-appointed positions last week during a meeting where her fellow commissioners read a formal censure.
“This is a resolution of the Thurston County Board of County Commissioners of public censure of Commissioner Emily Clouse, expressing a loss of confidence in her judgment and leadership, and requesting her accountability measures,” Commissioner Wayne Fournier said during the Dec. 11 meeting.
The long-awaited report, which detailed the personal relationship between Clouse and a former aide, was conducted after Clouse was temporarily removed from all appointed boards and commissions on Aug. 13 following “allegations of misconduct.”
According to the investigation, which was conducted by lawyer Robin L. Nielson, the relationship between Clouse and the aide “more likely than not” lasted between five and six weeks, beginning in the second half of April and lasting through some time in May.
In a summary of an independent investigation prepared by county Human Resources Director Maria Aponte, Aponte wrote that Clouse’s conduct was “more likely than not, inconsistent with and contrary to the behavioral requirements and expectations of professionalism” outlined by the county.
During this relationship, Aponte wrote that Clouse benefitted from the relationship “while creating a risk that he could question any further adverse employment action by the County and allege discriminatory harassment and that she failed to take proactive steps to manage and limit the potential risk for the County” that the relationship created.
In a joint statement following the report’s release, the Thurston County commissioners said the “conduct in the investigative report would result in the termination of any regular County employee, however as an independently elected official this is not within the legal authority of the board.”
