Posted on 11/17/2005 8:30:08 PM PST by NormsRevenge
RITZVILLE, Wash. - A judge on Thursday granted a newspaper's request to make public gay-themed material from Spokane Mayor James E. West's City Hall laptop computer, but placed restrictions on the release of images from a gay-oriented Web site.
Judge Richard Miller ordered the release of an index showing the dates and times West used the computer to access Gay.com and other Web sites.
But the judge said the Web addresses of member profiles West viewed on the site's dating service would be obscured, and images on the mayor's hard drive would not be released, to protect the privacy of third parties.
"Clearly the public has the right to evaluate the mayor's performance," Miller said. But, he added, releasing the pictures "could 'out' people without their permission."
Miller said the contents of West's city-owned laptop include about 3,300 images, including about 100 showing male genitalia or buttocks. Many of the images show the upper torso of shirtless men, Miller said.
Attorneys for The Spokesman-Review newspaper went to court to seek release of the files.
West fought release of the computer's contents, contending they were private and that the Internet sites were accessed during off-work hours. The city allows employees to make limited use of city equipment to access the Internet for private reasons.
The mayor faces a recall election Dec. 6 over allegations that he abused his office by offering a City Hall internship to an 18-year-old man he met in a Gay.com chat room. West has denied any wrongdoing.
He has not been charged with a crime, but FBI agents seized computers from West's home as part of a public corruption investigation.
Uhhhh, given the topic at hand, that headline is disgusting but appropriate.
[cue "The Wild Wild West" theme]
He probably thought it was ok because it's ok in NJ. After all, he only offered an internship and not a position as the head of anti-terrorism.
images on the mayor's hard drive would not be released,
Thank Goodness :)
West, a longtime Republican state senator and opponent of gay rights, has acknowledged that he was a closeted gay man but has denied breaking any laws. He has admitted that he visited Gay.com on his work computer but is denying that he deliberately downloaded some 1,800 files that The Spokesman-Review newspaper is demanding to see.
Verrrrry nice.
This guy must be priming himself for the NJ governorship.
He obviously didn't "download" the files in question, based on the description. It sounds like we're talking about pictures from his Internet Explorer cache.
but, but, but they keep telling us that being gay was a natural and normal phenomenon, so what's to hide?
Libertarian ping.To be added or removed from my ping list freepmail me or post a message here
Wonder how it'll pan out. But I can't see the post to which I am responding! What's going on, admin?
I really don't see the logic here. The article says that employees are allowed to use computers for "limited" personal reasons, and the times or frequencies of accessing these web sites aren't relevant to the corruption investigation. It sounds like the newspaper just wants some prurient details to em-bare-ass the guy with - I'd rather the judge had told the paper to eff off.
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