EDITOR’S NOTE: There were other plaintiffs on the case, and I shared the information about my personal relationship with Deb Simmons to be transparent. This was not an “emotional” response, it was a professional journalist, and other community members, exercising their First Amendment rights and requesting access to a report that contains information to explain the actions of the city towards the former mayor that remain under scrutiny and questionable. Thank you to everyone that reached out and thanked me for doing this story.
Laura Swanson’s lengthy post on the Pioneer (“Frivolous” Manzanita Lawsuit) on Tuesday left me wondering.
Let me see if I have the facts straight. Laura had a good friend who was briefly the mayor of Manzanita. There was a city staff complaint during her friend’s tenure. The friend resigned as mayor, at least partially because she no longer lived in Manzanita. Laura was unhappy. Laura went to court to gain access to the city staff complaint in 2023. The court heard from her and her attorneys and then turned her down and dismissed the case. Laura appealed. Again, the court and a different judge said no.
Laura’s post was accusatory and hinted of conspiracy. The facts and the court’s decisions are simple.
Please see the City of Manzanita website for the court judgment on Page 13 of FAQs: https://ci.manzanita.or.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/2025-01-17-Often-Asked-Questions.pdf
Judith Sugg
Manzanita
