Pierce County Superior Court Judge Beverly Grant has officially dismissed a lawsuit seeking the ouster of County Auditor Jan Shabro.

In a brief hearing Thursday, Grant dismissed a suit brought by Pierce County Democratic Party Chairman Nathe Lawver. The move made official Grant’s ruling against Lawver earlier this month.

Lawver claimed the County Council illegally appointed Shabro – a Republican – to the auditor’s post in January. Lawver contended the council should have selected from among three candidates for the job recommended by the Democratic Party.

Under the county charter, the council is bound to fill vacant partisan offices by selecting from among nominees submitted the party of the person vacating the post. Shabro’s predecessor – Pat McCarthy – was twice elected as a Democrat.

However, in 2007 voters approved a charter amendment making the auditor a nonpartisan position.

In her recent ruling against Lawver, Grant appeared suggest the council didn’t have the authority to replace McCarthy at all – something neither Lawver nor the county’s attorney argued in court.

Lawver said Friday he would not appeal Grant’s ruling. But he said “there’s still kind of an air of suspicion” around the council’s appointment of Shabro.

Grant’s decision doesn’t end the legal wrangling over Shabro’s appointment. Local resident Ron Lopp still has a lawsuit pending over her appointment.

Shabro is seeking to fill the remainder of McCarthy’s term in a special election this November. The post will be up for election again in 2010, when McCarthy’s term would have expired.

The Pierce County Planning Department will close its development center (where you get building permits, etc.) on Tuesday because of employee furloughs. Read the press release below. For more information – future closure dates – click here.

May 22, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Pierce County Planning and Land Services Department (PALS) will close its development center for the day on Tuesday, May 26, due to an employee furlough.

The one-day closure is the second in a series of nine closures spread through the rest of the year as a result of budget constraints. In some cases, including Tuesday's, the closures are timed to coincide with holiday weekends, which are traditionally slow periods for the development center.

The Development Center is located in the Pierce County Annex, 2401 S. 35th St., Tacoma. Other services in the Annex will be available on these dates, including those provided by the County Auditor and the County Assessor-Treasurer.

More information, including the rest of the closure dates, is available on the PALS web page, http://www.piercecountywa.org/pc/services/home/property/pals/palsmain.htm.

Contact: Chuck Kleeberg, Planning and Land Services director, 253-798-3130; or Hunter George, Communications Department director, 253-798-6606 or hgeorge@co.pierce.wa.us.
Find more Pierce County news at www.piercecountywa.org or follow us at twitter.com/pierceco .

I've blogged quite a bit in the last couple weeks about the Portlandification of Tacoma, to coin a phrase. That is, things the city is doing to be more green, more hip, more modern. I'm talking about things like bike commuting, Complete Streets and mixed-use design.

I sat in on a presentation by City Councilwoman Connie Ladenburg on Tuesday about her recent trip to Portland, where she and other city leaders got to look at some of the progressive ideas that might be incorporated into the City of Destiny (a.k.a Grit City). They include green roofing, rain gardens, stormwater recycling, zero-impact zones.

But after the jump you can see how the really hardcore folks are already taking "green" to the next level.

=> Read more!