Pacific police arrested controversial Mayor Cy Sun on Thursday as he tried to get into the sealed City Clerk’s office at City Hall.
Sun, 82, was placed under arrest around noon after he reportedly tried to enter the office, which had been off limits to him for weeks now.
Two police officers were placed in front of the room to prevent Sun – who was with a locksmith – from entering the taped-off office. When he tore down the tape, he was arrested.
Police escorted Sun to the police station, where he was held in a cell for about 45 minutes, then released.
No charges were filed.
Later Thursday, Sun spoke at a news conference at City Hall, explaining his actions. Sun said he was trying to obtain “necessary files to run the City,” those detailing job descriptions in his bid to possibly fill vacancies as he reorganizes Pacific’s government.
“The records in there are essential for the operations of City Hall,” Sun said at the gathering. “We’re running on one leg.”
Sun has fired several department heads, and Pacific residents asked him to resign at a council meeting last month.
According to City Attorney Kenyon Luce, City records are under the police department’s custody while the clerk is on medical leave. Should Sun want to access city documents, he must do so in cooperation with the department, the News Tribune reported late Thursday.
The City Council, meanwhile, asked the King County Sheriff’s Office to launch an investigation into alleged destruction of City records, the Tribune reported.
The King County Sheriff’s Department announced that Sun is under investigation for destroying city records, KING 5 reported.
According to KING 5, Sun said he needed to get into the clerk’s office to access personnel files while the clerk is on medical leave. He said he was arrested because the officer said he could not go inside the office.
Sun hosted a public meeting Tuesday at City Hall to outline his plans to reorganize City administration, prevent cancellation of the City’s insurance and cut personnel costs.
At issue, the letter the City received July 2 from the Cities Insurance Association of Washington, notifying it that Pacific’s membership in the association would be cancelled, effective Dec. 31. Alongside that alarming news, the City learned that insurance carrier Canfield was planning to drop it.
To keep these things from happening, the City must fill a number of critical, but now vacant, positions, including public works director, City engineer and building inspector.
Sun laid out his plan to forge an inter-local agreement with the City of Auburn to use its employees for those critical services.
Although lacking details and hard numbers at this time, Sun said his plan would outsource services such as planner, engineer, public works and building inspection to Auburn employees. Sun said he expected his plan would cost the City about $100,000 a year, as opposed to the $340,000 he claims it costs the City to pay its own employees in those positions.
Sun, a write-in candidate, upset two-term incumbent Richard Hildreth in last fall’s election. Sun, who has never held public office, has brought drastic changes to City Hall.
Sun, a highly decorated Korean War veteran, vowed to “clean house,” lower staff costs and end “corruption.” He subsequently fired staff and forced others, notably the public works director, city engineer and finance director, to resign.
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KOMO-4 VIDEO OF ARREST:
