Franklin County Auditor Vindicated; Court Finds Former County Administrator Liable for Secret Recording
Spokane County Superior Court Judge Breann Beggs ruled May 6th that former County Administrator Mike Cronemeyer, aka Mike Gonzalez Cronemeyer, was liable for secretly recording Franklin County Auditor Matt Beaton while he was having a private conversation with Franklin County Commissioner Rocky Mullen and Gonzalez Cronemeyer. Mr. Gonzalez Cronemeyer included six affirmative defenses, all of which were dismissed with prejudice.
Beaton, who has been the Franklin County
Auditor since 2011, has often been maligned and misrepresented by the local
media while reporting to the public the financial irregularities discovered by
the Auditor's Office. After the recording, for reasons still unknown, Beaton
and Mullen were investigated for wrongdoing, but not Gonzalez Cronemeyer. With
no interviews with Beaton or Mullen, the Prosecuting Attorney Shawn Sant immediately
declared it a criminal matter and requested a special investigator from Snohomish
County. His actions denied Mr. Beaton the right to legal defense in his
capacity as an elected official. Snohomish County Special Prosecutor Elise Deschenes officially cleared Beaton of any wrongdoing (link)
in September of last year.
With Judge Breggs' summary judgment (link)--also see original Order on Motions for Summary Judgment (link) for Beaton, the Auditor has not only been cleared but in fact has been vindicated entirely. This is just the latest in a string of recent events that have not only proven that the investigation launched into Beaton was out of line, but that Beaton has been accurate on the recent items in question. It was Beaton who discovered that former County Commissioners Brad Peck, Robert Koch, and Rick Miller had potentially violated the state constitution by voting for a pay raise for themselves. Once again, the local media portrayed Beaton as an overzealous ideologue with political grudges while Prosecutor Sant defended the unconstitutional self-enrichment. That narrative changed, however, when the Washington State Attorney General rendered their opinion (link), which was the same position Beaton had maintained from the onset.
County Auditors
are often the target of other officials and the media due to the nature of
their job. Auditing the financial aspects of any organization comes with
inherent challenges. Just recently, members of Beaton’s staff were awarded damages in a judgment against Sheriff Jim Raymond (link) for what was determined by a
Walla Walla County Superior Court judge to be
defamatory comments, intimidation, and bullying. Beaton first
“With our office being proven right when it comes to the State Audit findings, the unconstitutional pay (link) for former Commissioners Peck, Koch, and Miller, auditing county travel and p-card policies, and now a summary judgment in this latest matter. I knew what I signed up for when I filed to run, and I am proud to stand up for the people of Franklin County when nobody else would. However, my family and the family of my staff have now had to put up with being accused of less than honorable actions that have not only been proven false, but in every example, we have been proven right.”
“As I said a year ago, when this phony crime and misrepresented facts (link) were 'leaked' to the media. There are bad actors in Franklin County of and you can be assured, I hope people keep paying attention as good people, and an independent review will reveal the truth so the people can make up their own minds.”
“Finally, I will say this, the biggest vindication is for the people. We have proven that with persistence, determination, and courage, the truth wins out. Facts matter, and I can only hope this is the beginning of a new era at Franklin County that calls for accountability and responsible management of your taxpayer dollars.”—Matt Beaton, Franklin County Auditor
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