A Puyallup city councilman has filed a court petition against the Puyallup city manager and Puyallup city attorney alleging they’ve withheld city records he needs to do his job.

John Knutsen, a first-term Puyallup councilman, is seeking a court order requiring City Manager Gary McLean and City Attorney Cheryl Carlson to give him unfettered access to city records.

Lawyers representing McLean and Carlson say Knutsen is requesting special treatment not given to anyone, councilman or otherwise.

In the petition Knutsen filed Monday in Pierce County Superior Court, he says he has asked for numerous city records since November that have been given to him only after being significantly redacted or edited.

Knutsen also says that when he has sought information about issues the city council is reviewing, he’s been forced to submit public records requests as a private citizen to get it.

“In order to perform my duties as a City Councilmember, I must be able to access information and records of the city,” Knutsen’s filings say. “The law does not vest authority in the unelected City Manager and City Attorney to be the ultimate gatekeepers for all information pertaining to the City business.”

Knutsen's court filings name Carlson and McLean only in their official capacity, not as private citizens.

Milton Rowland, a lawyer speaking on McLean and Carlson’s behalf, said that Knutsen is requesting special access not given to any council member or member of the public.

Knutsen is asking city officials “to treat him differently than they treat anyone else who makes public records requests, and differently than any other City Council member,” Rowland said in an e-mail statement.

The city will ask the judge to dismiss Knutsen’s petition, Rowland said.

“We are disappointed that he chose to act in a way calculated to drain public resources by filing a lawsuit,” Rowland wrote, adding that Knutsen could have proposed instead that the City Council members vote to change how they receive information.

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