Fact Check: Council Candidate Way Off Mark on Attack

The Claim: Shoreline City Council Position 4 challenger Janet Way alleged that incumbent Doris McConnell missed nine meetings in one year at the Richmond Beach candidates forum on Oct. 11. When asked by Patch, Way confirmed the year she was referring to was 2010.

The Facts: McConnell missed four regular meetings and two dinner meetings for a total of six meetings in 2010, not nine: Jan. 11 (dinner only), April 19, May 17, June 7, June 14 (dinner only), July 12, according city clerk’s records.

Analysis: In the last four years since being elected McConnell missed 11 meetings total, seven regular meetings and four dinner meetings.  She did not miss any meetings in 2009. In the last four years, Terry Scott has missed the most (12), followed by Shari Winstead who has missed nine meetings in two years on the Council, followed by Will Hall (six in two years), Keith McGlashan (three) and Chris Eggen (three), and Chris Roberts (none in two years).

Way has repeatedly emphasized her dutiful attendance at meetings, noting she missed zero meetings while on the Council from 2005 to 2009, which checks out according to the clerk’s records.

Way pointed out that McConnell missed a vote on the Point Wells Subarea Plan at the April 19 meeting in 2010 and McConnell responded that she was visiting colleges in California with her son.

McConnell downplayed that missed vote saying she would have simply added to the majority.

McConnell, a single parent whose husband died of cancer, said she missed meetings to be at school events for her son, attend funerals out of state and be with her dying mother.

“My misses were out of necessity,” she said.

McConnell has said despite Way’s attempts to make attendance at meetings an issue most of her constituents have said it’s not a major issue.

McConnell has launched attacks of her own on Way for her role in the Council majority’s holding of a secret meeting that resulted in the firing of then-city manager Steve Burkett in 2005 and eventually a lawsuit that cost the city $159,000 to settle. McConnell also accused Way of grandstanding and causing meetings to run late.

Way has said she asks a lot of questions that need to be asked based on her studying of the issues.