James E. West (politician)

James Elton West
43rd Mayor of Spokane
In office December 30, 2003 – December 16, 2005
Preceded by	John Powers
Succeeded by	Dennis P. Hession
Majority Leader of the Washington Senate
In office January 13, 2003 – December 23, 2003
Preceded by	Sid Snyder
Succeeded by	Bill Finkbeiner
Minority Leader of the Washington Senate
In office January 10, 2000 – January 13, 2003
Preceded by	Dan McDonald
Succeeded by	Lisa Brown
Member of the Washington Senate from the 6th district
In office January 12, 1987 – December 23, 2003
Preceded by	Sam C. Guess
Succeeded by	Brian Murray
Member of the Washington House of Representatives from the 6th district
In office January 10, 1983 – January 12, 1987
Preceded by	Michael R. McGinnis
Succeeded by	Duane Sommers
Personal details
Born	James Elton West (1951-03-28)March 28, 1951 Salem, Oregon, U.S.
Died	July 22, 2006(2006-07-22) (aged 55) Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Ginger Marshall (1990–1995)
Profession	Politician – Small Business Owner
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1971–1974
Unit	82nd Airborne Division[1]
Battles/wars	Cold War

James Elton "Jim" West (March 28, 1951 – July 22, 2006) was an American politician from Spokane, Washington. While mayor of Spokane in 2005, he was the target of allegations of the sexual abuse of boys twenty years earlier. These allegations became public after West became a target of a sting operation conducted by his hometown newspaper, The Spokesman-Review.^[2] Some journalists and academics criticized the paper for what they saw as a form of entrapment.^[3] West admitted engaging in homosexual behavior with adults, despite an earlier record of supporting "anti-gay" legislation. Though never charged, he was removed from office by recall in 2005. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) eventually closed its investigation and took no action for lack of evidence.