Council critic Ed Barnes organizes rally for staff

barnes

Ed Barnes

One of the Clark County council’s toughest critics is inviting the community to show their support for county staff on Tuesday.

Local labor leader Ed Barnes, who held a brief stint as a Clark County commissioner himself, distributed invitations among county employees last week to attend a gathering in front of the Public Service Center on 1300 Franklin St.

The flier, including one left on the windshield of a certain Clark County councilor’s red Tesla, invites staff to “gather with your co-workers, along with concerned citizens, in a show of solidarity for Dr. Oliver Orjiako and the Community Planning staff and other county employees whose integrity and work ethics have been challenged.”

Councilor David Madore, a Republican, has recently accused planning staff, including Planning Director Orjiako, and Deputy Prosecutors Chris Horne and Christine Cook, of lying about the impact of his controversial zoning proposal, Alternative 4.

Orjiako has also filed a complaint against Madore, accusing him of violating the state Growth Management Act with his involvement on the Comprehensive Growth Management Plan update, as well as racially-motivated discrimination and harassment.

The county has hired an investigator to look into the flying allegations – to the tune of $240 in taxpayer money an hour.

Tuesday’s gathering runs from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Public Service Center plaza – overlapping with county employees’ staggered lunch hours. The Mighty Bowl, which parks by the Public Service Center every Tuesday, will donate $1 of every county employee’s purchase to the Employee Picnic Fund.

Kaitlin Gillespie

Kaitlin Gillespie

I'm the education reporter at The Columbian. Get in touch at kaitlin.gillespie@columbian.com or 360-735-4517.

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