Long-time Medical Lake city attorney retiring

MEDICAL LAKE — After 37 years as the city’s legal representative, city attorney Cynthia McMullen is hanging it up — finally.

Hired by Mayor Don Johns as city attorney and prosecutor in 1983, McMullen has since helped the city maneuver the legalities of municipal governance on a variety of issues that ushered in slow changes in the small, bucolic community.

McMullen began her career out of Gonzaga Law School as a clerk, intern and eventually an attorney for the city of Spokane.

McMullen and her husband, Dennis, who formed McMullen Law Office, P.S. in 1979, eventually became partners in both life and work.

During her career McMullen also represented Harrington, Sprague, Lamont, Wilbur, several water sewer districts, and even the Spokane County Library District, she said.

Looking back, the top issues she felt she helped Medial Lake legally maneuver include:

• The algae cleanup of Medical Lake with the addition of aerators was “a major thing for the city.”

• Construction of the city’s wastewater treatment plant and “the way the city planned for that, and was able to build that without having to do bonds or loans,” she counted as a major success.

• The urban growth of the city at Fox Hollow and Fox Ridge.

• Outsourcing of both law enforcement to the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office and the merger of fire and emergency services with Spokane County Fire District 3.

The lake cleanup, water treatment plant and developments in particular “show just how methodical and prepared the city was for each of those major events coming online,” McMullen said.

She also felt the outsourcing of police and emergency services were “smart, financially responsible decisions,” that protect Medical Lake citizens from both a financial and public safety perspective.

Looking into her crystal ball of experience and knowledge toward future issues facing Medical Lake, McMullen said water would remain an issue throughout Spokane County, although the planned intertie with Spokane this summer will help Medical Lake.

“We have a finite supply of it and we’re going to have to learn how to share it,” she said, as growth continues in the region.

The availability of more water, and commercial and industrial development on the West Plains, will increase housing development pressures, particularly in the Medical Lake area.

But the city has been intentional in its planning and zoning ordinances, according to McMullen, to ensure growth is well supported by services and infrastructure.

Therein lies the balance.

“If you grow too fast or too much then it strains the services for everyone, and the quality of life is impacted,” McMullen said.

The Fox Hollow and Fox Ridge developments are examples of how the city pays attention to that balance, she said.

Medical Lake’s municipal court consolidated with Cheney in 2014, and McMullen stayed on as a prosecutor until last year when she handed over prosecutorial duties to Cheney’s Angelle Gerl.

But Medical Lake Mayor Shirley Maike asked McMullen to stay on a bit longer after she began retiring from the other cities and organizations she represented toward the end of 2018, and McMullen agreed, but only for one more year.

“I’ve been really honored to work with them all these years,” McMullen said of the cities and colleagues she has represented and worked for.

Per an agreement approved by the City Council, Laura McAloon of McAloon Law will be taking over the legal reigns from McMullen beginning in February.

While she and Dennis, who live in Spokane Valley, plan to do some traveling to visit distant kids, she will remain a member of the Central Valley School Board, where she has held a seat for 28 years. At least for the time being.

“People tend to get stuck with me for a long time,” she said, adding, “but I promised the city of Medical Lake I wouldn’t come back.”

Lee Hughes can be reached at lee@cheneyfreepress.com.