SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. – Councilwoman Yeager’s use of social media has come under review to determine if she violated the state’s public records rules. This investigation began after community member Bob West raised concerns at a city council meeting on June 24.
Following West’s comments, Yaeger took action the next morning.
She said, “I got up the next morning, screenshotted everything from my personal Facebook, and called city hall to hand it over.”
Yaeger explained that her reposts were intended to direct people to her official council page, not to conduct city business.
“If anyone wanted to talk about it, I told them to go to my city council page. I wasn’t commenting on my personal account,” she said.
The situation brings to light past tensions with Councilmember Al Merkel, who once faced scrutiny for his own social media activity.
He remarked, “We should highlight the distinction between how the city treated me and my investigation, and how they’re treating this.”
Merkel added, “On day one, there was a big press release and a big press push to, you know, try and crucify me in the media, whereas, Yaeger’s investigation, I think, was initiated, at the end of July, if not the very beginning of August, and there was no press release.”
City code mandates investigations for written complaints. However, despite West’s verbal remarks, the city initiated a review. Yaeger acknowledged the lack of clarity in social media rules.
She stated, “I’m the one who called city hall and turned everything in. If it’s considered city business, I won’t do it again.”
Merkel believes social media posts should be treated as public records, just as his were.
He said, “But, of course, that angers the administration.”
Bob West declined to comment on the matter.
However, Merkel expressed, “This is just a distraction from the things that really matter to people, which is lowering taxes, fully funding police and just ensuring a common sense government. It’s unfortunate that we’re having this conversation instead of having that conversation.”
Yaeger stated that since the complaint, she has stopped sharing her professional posts on her personal account.
