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Pacific mayor dodges questions regarding recent firing of city clerk

PACIFIC, Wash. — The mayor of Pacific, Mayor Cy Sun, fired the city's clerk in connection with Sun's recent arrest for allegedly trying to break into the clerk's locked office.

KIRO 7 Eyewitness News asked Sun a few questions at his home Thursday after he left his office, but he would not answer.

“Would you get off the property please? Or else I’ll call the authorities,” Sun said.

Last week, Sun was arrested after allegedly trying to enter the clerk's locked office and trying to get into the records room.

"I guess I'll be looking for another position, but what it's done to the city is even more tragic," said City Clerk Jane Montgomery.

According to Montgomery, she was supposed to meet with the mayor Thursday morning for a hearing on her firing, but he left without speaking to her or KIRO 7.

As Montgomery cleaned out her desk, she said she was fired for refusing to give the mayor access to city files, after he was accused of destroying public records.

"The city is being completely destroyed from within,” Montgomery said.

Since then, four of the police department's nine officers have received pre-termination of employment letters from Sun. Their respective Loudermill hearings are scheduled for Friday at 9 a.m., according to Stephanie Shook, public information officer with the Pacific Police Department.

Sergeant Jim Pickett  believes the firings are pure retribution.

"I think it's pretty clear that it is, the timing of it," Pickett said.

Sun claims he was elected to clean up corruption in the town, but department heads have quit or been fired.

The city of Pacific faces the possible loss of its legal right to remain a city because its insurance carrier is threatening to drop coverage.

KIRO 7 spoke with Sue Cordova, a Pacific resident, about the mayor’s actions.

"He kind of leaves us with a bad taste in our mouth. You never know what he's going to do next," Cordova said.

A recall campaign against Sun has been launched by a business owner in Pacific hoping to get it on the November ballot.

For the time being, Montgomery and the fired police officers are appealing their terminations.