A Win for Mayor Cooper: Kimberly Cole Is Back on the City Payroll

Score round one to the Edmonds City Council. Score round two to Edmonds Mayor Mike Cooper.

is back on the city of Edmonds payroll.

Cole had resigned her position as executive assistant to Cooper on Sept. 22, created by certain employees of the city of Edmonds. The settlement agreements between Cole and Cooper were later in a 7-0 vote.

Cooper, in a memo to City Councilmember today, cited an e-mail from Cole’s lawyer, James Spencer, to Edmonds city attorney Jeff Taraday as to the reason why Cole is still with the city.

Spencer claimed that, since the city had voided Cole’s separation agreement with the city, she was technically still a city employee. “Any paperwork she signed regarding her resignation from the city was done as consideration for the agreement that the Council has now voided,” Spencer wrote.

A copy of the separation agreement was obtained by My Edmonds News.

As discussing the matter with Taraday, Cooper says Taraday, in an e-mail to Spencer,  spoke for himself and Cooper when he wrote, “We agree that, because of the Sept. 22 and Sept. 23 documents signed by Kim Cole and Mayor Cooper did not have the legal effect they purported to have, Ms. Cole will be immediately reinstated to her position.”

Because Cole had been on paid administrative status at the time the documents were signed, Taraday said she will be initially returned to that status.

Cooper said he is now making arrangement with an outside investigator, which The Herald identified as Kirkland attorney Jim Webber, to conduct an investigation into issues raised by Cole regarding her harassment claims. (Also, according to the Herald, Cole was put on administrative leave two days before her resignation.) Cooper added that neither he, his staff, or Taraday, will be involved in the report, conducted in accordance with the city's personnel policy, until it is complete.

The investigator will work directly with attorney Mark Bucklin of the Washington Cities Insurance Authority.