Colfax Fire Chief files $500,000 claim

A claim of $501,494 for damages and attorney costs has been submitted to the City of Colfax by Ross White, Spokane attorney who represented Chief Ralph Walter in the appeal of his dismissal as Colfax Fire Chief. The claim, which has been forwarded to the city’s insurance carrier, included $425,000 in general damages and the balance of $76,494 in attorney fees, according to City Attorney Bruce Ensley.

Mayor Norma Becker reinstated Walter to the fire chief’s position before the second scheduled day of the civil service hearing Oct. 6. She said testimony from the first day of the hearing led her...