Todd Voth resigns from Moses Lake City Council

MOSES LAKE — Mayor Todd Voth resigned from the Moses Lake City Council over the weekend due to “personal attacks.”

City Manager John Williams confirmed Voth submitted his resignation from the council on Sunday via email.

“He basically in the email cited personal attacks against him, his family and his personal property,” Williams told the Columbia Basin Herald on Monday.

Williams said in times of absence of the mayor, the deputy mayor becomes the “acting mayor,” which is a responsibility that will now fall on Deputy Mayor Karen Liebrecht in light of Voth’s resignation.

“I’m just not sure. In this case I need to verify 100 percent that she just takes that office, or will be in an acting position for the remainder of the year. Because she is not voted in as mayor, she is voted in as deputy mayor and was sworn-in as such. So it might be a distinction without a difference,” Williams explained.

Voth’s time on the council was already numbered due to a third-place finish behind Dean Hankins and Mike Riggs in the Aug. 1 primary. Voth came in just 10 votes behind Hankins for second-place, who received 751 votes, opposed to Voth’s 741 votes. Riggs came in atop of the three-person race with 785 votes.

An error in calculations from the Grant County Election Department led county officials to initially believe the difference between Voth and Hankins constituted a mandatory machine recount, but the mixup was later corrected after it was learned the difference between the two candidates did not meet the state’s criteria for a mandatory recount.

There was still an opportunity for a recount to occur if an application was filed with the elections department by last Thursday. Thursday passed with no application filed however, the elections department confirmed to the Herald on Monday, which means the results from the Aug. 1 primary are official and Hankins and Riggs officially moved on to the November general election ballot.

The council will be discussing Voth’s resignation, and if they wish to fill the now vacant seat, during tonight’s council meeting. The resignation leaves the council with only five members, as former councilmember Bill Ecret resigned in July following a move outside of city limits.

Voth was running for Position No. 1 on the council, despite currently occupying Position No. 4. During filing week Voth initially filed to run for Position No. 4, but withdrew and filed to run for Position No. 1 before the deadline. Similarly, Ecret filed to run for Position No. 4, despite serving in Position No. 1 when he filed.

The council previously voted to accept resumes and letters of interest from residents who wanted to serve on the council until Dec. 31, but ultimately decided to keep Ecret's position vacant. A judge approved a petition to disqualify Ecret’s name from appearing on the general election ballot and a special three-day filing period was opened for Position No. 4 on the council, as Ecret was running unopposed. The three-day filing period passed with four residents filing to run for the position.

Richard Byrd can be reached via email at city@columbiabasinherald.com.