County attorneys pick apart Richard Lee's actions
More details of controversy are expected later Tuesday

By JOE GAMM
The Daily Astorian, 2/12/2008 7:05:00 AM

Attorneys are continuing to scrutinize Clatsop County Commissioner Richard Lee's position in government.

Signatures collected by a citizens group whose members are critical of Lee's behavior are expected to be certified Friday, with a recall election planned March 25.

And the county's four attorneys have released a memorandum saying Lee - in some respects - has "postured himself as adverse to the county."

In December, Planner Jennifer Bunch filed a complaint against Lee, saying that a problem exists when an employee thinks their job might be in jeopardy if they follow the letter of the law.

Early in January, Lee filed public records requests seeking disclosure to him of copies of all memos, written communication, or anything else that referred to him, his wife Lynda, his properties or their projects from county staff, officials, commissioners and clients.

Last week, Lee announced that he had filed a tort claim against the county - a document which prepares the way for a lawsuit - alleging interference in his business dealings by county staff.

And following an executive session of the Board of Commissioners meeting, county leaders released a report - culminating from an investigation by Portland attorney Jill Goldsmith - which said Lee and his wife had used his position as a commissioner to obtain favorable treatment by county staff. Lee was asked to stay away from the meeting.

A second document discussed in the executive session was not available for public scrutiny and was the subject of a public records request from The Daily Astorian.

Late Sunday evening, the county released portions of that memorandum, which was authored by its four attorneys - Blair Henningsgaard, Heather Reynolds, Akin Blitz and Andrew Jordan, advising the county on what actions to take regarding litigation.

But, citing attorney-client privilege, the attorneys redacted (blacked out) a large percentage of the memorandum, including its recommendations and observations. The Daily Astorian asked authorities for the full uncensored document Monday and is awaiting a reply. What remained, however, was a summary of the attorney's findings concerning Lee's land use issues.

"Commissioner Lee is a land developer who has not complied with conditional use permits and letters from the Planning Department staff requesting compliance, and who has issues of non-compliance with the Building Codes Department," the memorandum said.

More details of the Lee controversy are expected to be revealed in The Daily Astorian and this Web site Tuesday afternoon.