Schoenrock v. Ensey, et al

Outcome: Victory for Open Government

Description: Acting as my own plaintiff, I sued the City Council for Yakima, Washington in order to enforce compliance with the state's open public meetings act. What started off as a simple writ of mandamus to enjoin the city from implementing a controversial budgeting process that had been pushed through the City Council without public debate or comment, became a real media storm as the investigation of the vote-getting process brought to light some rather embarrassing internal communications between public office holders regarding the administration of their duties as elected officials. After surviving a very public motion to dismiss, I was able to broker a settlement with the city that ensured future compliance with open public meetings law, renewed attention on the important, if often over-looked, role that budgeting practices play in local government, along with receiving attorney's fees for my efforts. The way I look at it, the real winners are the citizens of Yakima who benefit every time the governing process becomes more transparent.