Just days before the February 11 special election, Mayor Theresa Richardson posted to almost 5,000 Facebook friends incorrect information about who would pay for the vote.
“We have an email from the auditor,” she told her friends.
On February 5, Richardson wrote, “Curious who pays $300,000 to $375,000 for a single issue ballot item? This information is also confirmed at the Benton County Auditor’s Office.”
She warned, “Now, I wonder what we will need to cut from the City budget to cover this expense. Please share with others to educate our community.”
She doubled down on the misinformation in the post in replying to a Richland resident. Richardson wrote, “I’m told that the City of Richland is anticipating receiving a bill after the election when the exact costs are known. We have an email from the auditor anticipating the bill to be between $300K-$370K.”
In fact, the city of Richland paid nothing. The Richland Public Facilities District, a state-funded group, shared the costs with two area school districts.
A Washington Public Records Act request for records from the city of Richland showed no correspondence from the Benton County Auditor Brenda Chilton or anyone else indicating that the city would pay for the election.
The Observer contacted Richardson in an email and asked who told her that the city would have to pay. She did not respond.
City Attorney Heather Kintzley attempted to distance the city from Richardson’s post.
In response to the Observer’s public record request for the source of the information that Richardson provided on the Facebook page, City Attorney Heather Kintzley responded, “The City of Richland is not the source of the document posted by Ms. Richardson. On or about February 6, 2025, Ms. Richardson verbally advised that the source of her information was outside the City. I’ve provided four (4) emails from the Benton County Auditor on the topic of costs for the Richland PFD special election, and you’ll see from those emails that they do not match the information provided in Ms. Richardson’s post. I also checked for emails, text messages and any other records to/from Ms. Richardson that address the source of her information. None were found, which is consistent with Ms. Richardson’s verbal statement that her information was derived from outside the City.”
Richardson’s friend promoted the same misinformation.
In early February, at about the time that Richardson posted her incorrect information on the special election, in another Facebook post Richardson urged her friends to subscribe to her city council campaign manager’s blog.
Eileen Griffin-Ray, who now serves on the Richland Economic Development Committee, wrote about the special election in a “Local News Brief” dated February 1:
“The process of getting this on the ballot is already costing Richland Residents. A special election was called to address this issue. Creating the ballot item required the city of Richland to pay for part of the special election fee. The estimate the city of Richland received is between $300,000 – $350,000 for this item to be included in a special election.”
Eileen Griffin-Ray provided no source for that information.
Post now, ask questions later. On Feb. 6, Richardson exchanged emails with Chilton and posted a correction.
Records show that on Feb. 6, Richardson shared emails with Chilton. About 24 hours after her original post, Richardson wrote a correction.
“Regarding my previous post: Our county auditor has confirmed that the Richland PFD [Public Facilities District] will be paying for the election expense….”
Thank you Randy for publishing this. It’s a very sneaky, dishonest way of casting aspersions on the proposed Arts Center. Citizens reading her posts would likely assume that as mayor, she has accurate information about costs to the city. Presenting false information and attributing it to a reputable source is a classic misinformation tactic. We deserve better.
Hi Nancy, I appreciate your comment. Although I didn’t cover in it in my article, I believe Mayor Richardson is skating on legal thin ice when she uses her Facebook page to discuss city business. Her free speech rights under last year’s US Supreme Court case, Lindke v. Freed, aren’t absolute. If she deletes anyone’s comment regarding city business, she could be liable for violating the commenters right to free speech. Thank you for reading the Observer. Randy
A significant number of Tri-City community leaders support that project, and it would appear that at least two Richland politicians spread incorrect information ahead of that special election. If they did so knowing that what they published was incorrect, then isn’t that the same as lying to their readers? And while the mayor later provided correct info to their followers, I didn’t readily spot a correction on that Richland Economic Development Committee member’s blog.
Hi Eric, I appreciate your comment. I don’t know how the $200K consultant can improve the city’s communications with residents when officials are putting our misinformation. Thank you for reading the Observer. Randy
The proposed Arts Center would have failed anyway, it is not a need it is a want by a few people that can build it themselves, not the taxpayers.
Hi Thought, Yes, I agree. So why did Richardson rile up her Facebook friends with misinformation just days before the election? Thank you for reading the Observer.