Longview City Council OPMA Lawsuit Plaintiffs Release Evidence Statement—Classic Hits 100.7 KLOG News

The plaintiffs in the ongoing Wallin v. Boudreau Open Public Meetings Act lawsuit say they will begin publicly releasing evidence gathered during the case that has not previously been seen by the public.

In an email sent this week, plaintiffs Mike Wallin, John Melink, and Tom Samuels said they believe the evidence collected over the past two years proves that former Mayor Spencer Boudreau and Councilmembers Kalei LaFave, Erik Halvorson, and Keith Young regularly discussed and reached agreements on city business outside of publicly noticed meetings between January and March 2024. The four defendants have denied the violations.

The plaintiffs say the evidence includes group meetings, phone calls, text messages, group texts, and what they describe as “daisy-chain” communications related to city business. They also allege that delays in the discovery process forced them to file multiple motions to compel and motions for contempt.

The statement comes after a Pacific County judge previously ordered Boudreau and LaFave to provide outstanding discovery responses and pay sanctions but declined to hold them in contempt.

The plaintiffs say they are releasing the information because Longview taxpayers continue to fund the defendants’ legal defense. City records show roughly $162,000 has been spent on legal fees so far. The plaintiffs also mentioned that two settlement offers made during the litigation were rejected.

The lawsuit, originally filed in 2024, alleges illegal meetings involving a quorum of the Longview City Council ahead of several key decisions, including the termination of former City Manager Kris Swanson.