Clarification: Soap Lake Police Chief Patrick Canady did not provide the names of those who had filed a complaint against Mayor Peter Sharp. He confirmed that a complaint had been made. Names were provided by other members of the community including complainants. 

SOAP LAKE — On Oct. 15, at the regular council meeting, several Soap Lake City Council members made allegations against Mayor Peter Sharp of unlawful recording in city buildings, including the Soap Lake Police Station, Soap Lake City Hall and the Soap Lake Tourism Center, sending an inappropriate email to city staff and misuse of city credit cards.  

“I would like it to be on the record that I do not have any confidence in Peter Sharp’s ability to lead the city in the future,” Council member Andrew Arnold said at the meeting.   

Sharp was appointed as the Soap Lake mayor by the city council at the Sept. 18, 2024, regular council meeting.  

Several cameras with recording abilities were purchased by the City of Soap Lake, including a premium subscription to Ring, in 2025. A formal complaint has been filed with the Soap Lake Police Department alleging the devices are being used to record audio. Sharp said the cameras are only being used for video and security purposes. On a separate occasion, Sharp sent an email to several city employees asking for a “letter of recommendation,” while seeking re-election as mayor. He subsequently claimed he was looking for employee feedback, rather than political endorsements from staff. Lastly, accusations were made around the alleged misuse of city credit cards. According to documentation from the city, around $9,080 worth of charges have been made on former Soap Lake Police Chief Ryan Cox’s credit card after his termination.

However, Council member Judith Gorman defended Sharp during the Oct. 15 meeting, saying she doesn’t understand the “anger in the air tonight.”  

“My experience with the mayor is that he is smart. He knows a lot. He researches well and he loves the city,” Gorman said. “I believe he cares … He likes being the man that is in the streets.”  

Sharp told the Columbia Basin Herald after the council meeting that the allegations were unfounded. He was contacted for further comment on the matter Oct. 29. Sharp did not respond to the request for comment.  

Recording devices 

Councilmember Susan Carson said during the council meeting that she wanted to address the presence of Ring doorbells and Echo devices located in city buildings. 

According to RCW 9.73.030, it is illegal in Washington to record private conversations without the consent of all parties, with few exceptions. This applies to audio and video recordings of private in-person conversations, telephone calls or electronic communications. This does not include video recordings without audio attached.  

Former Soap Lake Mayor Michelle Agliano took a leave of absence in October 2023 after she illegally recorded staff, leaving her phone recording in her office. Agliano admitted to those actions in an interview with the Columbia Basin Herald. At that time, Sharp was running for council and won the 2023 Soap Lake Council Position 6 election against Megan Gould.  

“If these devices are active and recording conversations without proper notification, that constitutes a violation of state law,” Carson said during the Oct. 15 meeting. “There are currently no noticeable signs posted notifying the public that these devices are in use, which further raises concerns.”  

According to a statement Sharp made on the city's website, all of the city-operated cameras are installed, maintained and utilized in full compliance with Washington state law. 

“This includes all fixed city surveillance cameras as well as authorized Ring security cameras used by city departments and facilities,” Sharp wrote.  

Sharp said all the cameras are located in open and public spaces. He said the cameras are being used solely for public safety, protecting infrastructure and operational purposes.  

“In compliance with Washington’s two-party consent law, audio streaming and recording functions are permanently disabled on all city and Ring cameras. This ensures that no audio conversations or sound-based data are captured, maintaining strict adherence to state privacy protections,” Sharp wrote.  

However, Carson told the Columbia Basin Herald that while she was having a conversation outside of the Soap Lake Tourism Center, Sharp joined the discussion, speaking through the Ring camera located in front of the building.  

“We have whistleblowers, besides myself, who have had interactions with Mr. Sharp over these devices,” Carson said. “I have had whistleblowers tell me about how he has shown them videos and recordings from City Hall and the Tourism Center.” 

Carson and public works employee Jeremiah Novik-Noll have filed a formal complaint with the City of Soap Lake regarding these allegations, which was confirmed by Soap Lake Police Chief Patrick Canady.  

Canady said SLPD had received the complaint and referred it to another department, as that was deemed appropriate with the mayor’s oversight of the department.  

Canady said he would not identify the investigating agency, but said the City Attorney Julie Norton was given the information on who is investigating the matter. Norton did not respond to a request for comment.  

According to Amazon invoices obtained from the City of Soap Lake through a public records request, the city purchased recording devices capable of making video or audio recordings, or both, valued at about $1,400. Subscriptions to Ring monitoring services were subsequently added with a value of almost $540.  

According to city invoices, several Ring and Amazon devices were purchased in February, March and April of this year. Costs for the devices totaled more than $2,200, including subscription costs for applicable device services. 

The June 5 account summaries for Cox’s card show the city charged a Ring subscription to it. Cox was terminated from his role on Feb. 13 and confirmed that he had turned his city-issued card in upon his termination.  

Sharp was asked who was in possession of the card since Cox’s termination, but did not respond. 

The Ring devices had a premium Ring service plan attached to them. According to Ring’s website, a premium subscription is about $200 for a year or around $20 a month. With premium, devices are able to record around the clock with continuous viewing and audio abilities. The website states that the audio can be disabled.  

“All video data collected by the City of Soap Lake is retained and managed according to state public records retention schedules and is accessible only to authorized personnel for official city business, law enforcement purposes, or otherwise required by law,” Sharp wrote in a statement on the city’s website. 

Credit cards 

According to account statements, several charges were made to Cox’s city credit card following his termination. According to RCW 42.20.070, a public officer who knowingly keeps any false account could be guilty of a class B felony and could be punished by imprisonment in a state correctional facility for not more than 15 years.

The Washington State Auditor's best practices recommend training, monitoring and timely deactivation of cards to prevent fraud. Under state law and recommended best practices from the State Auditor's Office, the card should only be utilized by the government employee to whom it was issued.

“Cancel credit cards promptly for employees who are leaving the government,” reads a statement from the Washington State Auditor. “The government should review the credit card activity and ensure there are no concerns with charges up to the date the cardholder’s employment ends. This should be completed before releasing final payroll payment to the employee in case funds need to be withheld.” 

In total, between Cox’s termination in February and the end of August, around $9,080 has been charged to his city-issued credit card. 

The credit limit for a city-issued card was $10,000 until April of this year, when it was dropped to $5,000 per card. That established a limit of $5,000 per employee who held a card.

No account details were available from the city for the month of September at the time of the records request.  

In March, $250 was charged to the account, including a background check for $11, an Amazon purchase for $105 and SquareSpace premium web services for $133. The City of Soap Lake’s website was created using SquareSpace, according to the code found on the site. There was also a late fee of $20 and an interest charge of $15. A payment of $3,600 of the $3,900 owed on the card was also made.  

In April, $350 was charged to the card. This included a QR code creator for about $190 and an Amazon purchase of around $160. There was also an internal fee of $2 and an interest charge of $9. No payments were made on the account in April.  

In May, around $4,380 was charged to the card. This included the ring premium subscriptions mentioned above and around $3,900 in Amazon purchases. There was a $1,400 payment on the account.  

In June, about $1,300 was charged to the account. This includes a Ring premium plan, about $350 on Amazon and nearly $450 at First Tactical. There was a payment on the card of nearly $4,000. 

In July, nearly $1,900 was charged to the card. This included around $1,800 in Amazon purchases, $6 at Hawk Fuel and $45 at Automotive Custom Light Surprise. There was a payment of about $1,300 on the card.  

In August, around $2,200 was charged, including nearly $1,700 on Amazon purchases, $16 at Akins Fresh Market and $500 on a SquareSpace website. There was not a payment on the account for August. 

According to the August account summary, there is a remaining balance of around $4,100 on the account.   

Email 

On Aug. 5, 2025, it was announced that councilmember Karen Woodhouse would be running as a write-in candidate in opposition to Sharp.  

On Aug. 29, Sharp sent an email to eight city staff. 

“I would be grateful if you could take a moment to write a brief letter of recommendation or provide a review concerning my tenure as mayor,” reads the email. “Specifically, I would appreciate your insights on the various responsibilities I have undertaken as city administrator, including my efforts to enhance community engagement, manage city operations effectively and implement policies that promote the well-being of our residents. Your support would be invaluable as I seek to highlight my commitment to serving our city and its citizens.”  

Finance Director Jeff Balentine responded to the email with concerns that it could violate Washington state law.  

“I am sure this is not your intent, but as a friendly reminder that, under Washington State law, local government facilities and resources can’t be used to support or oppose any political candidate,” Balentine wrote. “This includes using public employees during work hours, office equipment such as computers and email, or engaging in campaign activities during official time. Violating these rules could lead to serious penalties, including fines and potential loss of office. It’s best for staff to avoid participating in any campaign-related activities while on the clock.”

RCW 42.17A.555 states that no elected official may use any of the facilities of the public office for the purpose of assisting a campaign, including email addresses, computers and similar resources.  

Sharp responded, saying he was looking for performance feedback and had not intended to use employee-provided information for campaign purposes.  

“This does not pertain to any election or political candidate,” Sharp wrote. “I am simply asking this to identify areas for self-improvement and to provide clarity to the council.” 

    Soap Lake City Council member Susan Carson made allegations against Mayor Peter Sharp about unlawful recording, an email to city staff where it could be construed that he was asking for endorsements, and misuse of city credit cards.
  

    Soap Lake City Council member Andrew Arnold said he does not have confidence in Sharp’s ability to lead the city.
  

    Soap Lake City Council member Judith Gorman defended the mayor at the Oct. 15 meeting saying he is smart and does his research.