Editor,

Make no mistake, Eric Hood isn’t just suing the City of Langley – his sixth such lawsuit – he is suing every Langley resident and business. Because even this meritless lawsuit costs the City taxpayers money, money not included in a budget that is already near the breaking point.

But of course, this lawsuit isn’t really about non-compliance with the Public Records Act. As the Wednesday Record article notes, “Hood has made a living filing Public Records Act (PRA) cases against jurisdictions large and small across the state.” (In 2021, the South Whidbey Record reported that Hood had collected $1 million through PRA lawsuits.)

Given the City’s history with Hood’s previous PRA lawsuits, I’m pretty confident that the City is going to respond to any new PRA request with meticulous attention to timeliness and thoroughness. As Mayor Horstman stated, his lawsuit is “baseless.”

So – what is the City to do? Fight the lawsuit in a process that may take years to resolve, costing the city substantial attorney fees? Or, cut losses and offer to settle – surely a travesty of fairness and public trust? In either case, where will the money come from? The City’s budget is intended to pay for things that matter like police, planning, accounting, maintenance, computers, etc. – all the things that make the city work. It does not allow for responding to yet another frivolous lawsuit.

Mr. Hood’s lawsuit is about self interest, not the public interest.

Kim Drury

Langley