Gay spokane mayor

A political storm has broken over Washington state after a newspaper alleged that the Mayor of Spokane, well known for opposing gay rights, once molested young boys and has been using the perks of his office to lure men into having sex. The Spokesman-Review backed its story with excerpts from exchanges, conducted on a gay-oriented web site, between the Republican Mayor, James West, and a person he believed was a year-old boy. In fact, the "teen" was a computer specialist hired by the newspaper. Am I crazy here? Potentially more grave are the allegations that Mr West molested two young men more than 25 years ago when he was a sheriff's deputy in the city.

West, who opposed gay-rights bills but was recalled from office over an Internet gay sex scandal, died Saturday of complications from recent cancer surgery. He was The conservative former Republican state Senate majority leader was diagnosed in early with colon cancer that later spread to his liver. A statement issued by University of Washington Medical Center said his family and pastor were at his side at the Seattle hospital. Seven months after The Spokesman-Review newspaper began publishing results of a computer "sting" it conducted to track the mayor's online activities in a gay chat room, West was ousted from office on Dec. West was the first Spokane city official to be recalled from office, ending a year career in city and state politics.

High-salaried City Hall jobs and a position on a city policy-making board were offered independently to two young men after they met Mayor Jim West in an Internet chat room, both men told The Spokesman-Review on Monday. Ryan M. The man said he has a business degree. The allegations by the two men came on the same day West told the Spokane City Council he is taking a leave of absence to prepare a defense to allegations that he sexually abused boys dating back to the late s and that he has misused positions of public trust.

By Daniel Walters. I t wasn't just that the anti-gay mayor was attracted to men. Though that was a lot of it. There had long been rumors.