This editorial appears in the Aug. 28, 2009, Yakima Herald-Republic.

Put us down as among those collectively rolling our eyes at the claim by two Yakima-area Democratic activists that their new effort to boot Yakima City Council member Rick Ensey from office isn't both politically motivated and designed to influence the fall council elections.

Charlotte Jones and Gene Rupel on Wednesday accused Ensey of violating the state open-meetings law five months ago when Ensey and fellow council member Kathy Coffey used e-mail to work outside the public eye with Yakima Valley Business Times publisher Bruce Smith to engineer a vote to change how the city prepares its budget. Voting in favor of the change with Ensey and Coffey were council members Bill Lover and Micah Cawley.

The accusation was part of a legal filing with the county Auditor's Office that, if successful, would lead to a recall election for Ensey, a first-term member of the council who is not up for re-election this fall.

Rupel and Jones, who are both Democratic precinct committee officers, denied they were targeting Ensey, an unabashed Republican, even though they aren't seeking a recall of Coffey.

Right.

Next they'll tell us that going after Ensey and trying to turn the spotlight on the e-mail controversy just after a strong showing by right-leaning candidates in the City County primary election is just a coincidence.

It's not that Ensey doesn't deserve grief for being among the chief organizers of the effort to secretly line up votes for the change in budgeting procedures. Ensey has been largely unapologetic about his role in both the e-mail fiasco and in the anonymous blogging carried out by his wife against incumbent Ron Bonlender during Ensey's council run in 2007.

If Jones and Rupel wanted the public to believe their recall efforts were based in a sincere desire that justice is carried out, why didn't they pursue a recall five months ago -- or after the November election? And why is only Ensey's ouster being sought? They claim it's because Ensey was the "leader of the bunch" and that Coffey had apologized for her role in the scandal.

We hope the Yakima Superior Court judge assigned to this politically motivated recall either quickly gives it the boot if he or she finds no merit to the challenge, or delays action on it until after the Nov. 3 election.

* Members of the Yakima Herald-Republic editorial board are Michael Shepard, Bob Crider, Spencer Hatton and Karen Troianello.