Councilman censured. He’s accused of leaks and mistreating employees

Pasco Councilman Leo Perales was unanimously censured for violating city and state rules, as well as the council’s ethics code.

Pasco Mayor Charles Grimm said at Monday’s meeting that Perales disclosed sensitive and confidential information regarding an internal investigation the city was conducting. Grimm claimed Perales’ actions have put the city at risk of “legal liability.”

Pattern of disrespectful conduct

This is not the first time Perales has engaged in disrespectful conduct, according to council discussion. Grimm said Perales addresses city staff via email and in person in a “demeaning tone, derogatory or accusatory manner.”

Perales, who has been on the council two years, asked not to be present during the executive session or vote on whether to censure him. He appears to have left the meeting at that time.

He told the Tri-City Herald on Tuesday that before the closed-door executive session meeting he asked why the council wanted to censure him, but wasn’t given much information about it.

For him, the censure vote was “political and predetermined.”

He said he has never used derogatory language against city employees and has never leaked anything.

The council did not offer details on what documents he may have leaked.

Perales added that he might be seen as “brash,” but he believes the city needs this type of approach to help keep leaders accountable and to correct the direction of city spending.

“At the end of the day, I work for the people and want to give the people of Pasco the most information they’re entitled to,” he said.

Perales warned about behavior

After Monday’s closed session at the end of the meeting, the council members commented and then voted on his censure.

Grimm said that if Perales continues to disclose confidential information or mistreat city staff, he could be stripped of his committee assignments.

Grimm said Perales has been working hard for his community, but the decision to censure him is based on a pattern of violating council policies and state rules.

“My hope is that from this point forward we can rebuild a culture of respect and cooperation so that we may effectively serve our community together,” Grimm said.

Before voting, Mayor Pro Tem David Milne said he considers Perales a good friend and a good person. He highlighted the number of hours he put into his work for the city council, but acknowledged that city employees and everyone else deserve respect.

“The confidentiality. That’s also very disheartening,” Milne said. “That’s why I will be voting for censure. But again if there was ever an avenue where he could come and change his ways, I would definitely would live to lift (the censure).”

Councilman Joe Cotta said the fact Perales decided to not make any comments about the issues made it more difficult for him to vote.

“We’re dealing with the information that we have,” he said. “That’s why we’ve got to make the decision that we made.”

Councilman Mark Figueroa said he believes each council member should be accountable to the residents they serve, and that the law applies to everybody.

“This is nothing personal at the end of the day,” he said. “We’ve been elected by the residents of the city, and we owe it to them. ... Nobody is above the law.”

Perales said he is willing to prove he hasn’t been disrespectful to staff.

This story was originally published June 2, 2026 at 2:27 PM.