It hasn’t been an easy year for the city of Pacific or its mayor, Cy Sun.
A petition filed Wednesday by city attorney Ken Luce aims to set at least some of Pacific’s problems straight.
It would require Sun to replace the employees he’s fired or who have resigned under his tenure – a list that includes the police chief, city clerk and seven other positions Luce said provide essential services to Pacific’s residents.
“We’re saying: ‘Mayor, you have the duty to put people in these positions; do it,’” Luce said Thursday.
Sun did not return calls from The News Tribune on Thursday.
The petition for writ of mandate filed in Pierce County Superior Court gives Sun until Sept. 17 to fill the positions, Luce said. If he doesn’t, the court would have a hearing to determine whether Sun should be ordered to do so, the city attorney said.
Sun has also faced challenges in his private life this year.
A lawsuit filed last month accused Sun of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl more than 40 years ago, but has since been withdrawn.
Since he won a write-in campaign in December by 64 votes, Sun has been arrested trying to enter the clerk’s office and accused by city employees of trying to destroy public records. The King County Sheriff’s Office is investigating those allegations.
The city’s insurance provider has said it will stop coverage at the end of the year, and residents asked Sun to resign at a June meeting of the City Council.
They have since launched a recall campaign.
Pacific employs roughly 20 people, Luce said. With about half of those positions either vacant or filled with interim help, he said the city needs permanent employees in those jobs in order to function.
One example is a Pacific school that needed a certificate of occupancy to open this year, which Luce said the city had to hire an outside company to provide.
“There are just a whole bunch of services that are required by a city, and we do not have the personnel to do them,” Luce said.
Pacific has roughly 6,500 residents and is east of Interstate 5 on the King-Pierce County line.
alexis.krell@ thenewstribune.com 253-597-8268 blog.thenewstribune.com/crime
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