The Law Office of Nicholas Power is pleased to announce that its client, Mr. John Geniuch, has been awarded the Washington Coalition for Open Government Key Award.

On June 9, the Washington Coalition for Open Government honored former San Juan County Building Official John Geniuch in Seattle, Washington, with the prestigious Key Award. The Key Award is given to any person or organization who has done something notable to promote transparency and accountability in government.

As the chief building official in San Juan County, Geniuch discovered that the county was using building permit fee revenues for services other than those required to process the permit, an apparent violation of state law. He brought the violation to the attention of county officials, but his protestations were ignored. In February, Geniuch discovered that over the past three years, the county had misallocated close to $1.2 million.

After complaining about the misallocation of funds, he was placed on administrative leave and filed public records requests for information on the disciplinary action taken against him. He has since brought suit against San Juan County for unlawful termination and violations of Washington’s Public Records Act. The PRA portion of the case has settled and the wrongful termination case is pending.

Mr. Geniuch took a principled stand against government corruption and lost his career with the county as a result.

Mr. Geniuch said, “I am honored to receive this award and have the utmost respect for the dedicated members of the Washington Coalition for Open Government and their tireless efforts in pursuit of open government, accountable government, and government that is truly for the people.”